Small things make my day. After saying what we’re grateful for at Thanksgiving dinner, it seems like a cliché to be thankful for the big things in life including family, friends, and health. While I am grateful for those, it is important to appreciate the little parts of life that make life good. For me, here are the small pieces of Notre Dame and Saint Mary’s life I am thankful for:
I am thankful my dorm room is not haunted. While other girls at Saint Mary’s are annoyed by the ghosts that throw things in their room, steal their stuff or tear down their posters, my room is perfectly normal to Le Mans Hall standards. The only things that go bump in the night in my room are my roommate’s fan and the heart buried under our floorboards.
I am thankful for the Grotto and its unending supply of candles. Think about it: no other campus has a place like the grotto. If I know someone needs a prayer, it is right there, always open no matter what time I go. No matter the time of day it is always lit. It’s as beautiful at 2 a.m. as it is 2 p.m., and there is always a fresh candle.
I am thankful for the weird graffiti on the desks at Hesburgh Library. It is always a fun distraction from studying to see what previous students needed to express on a table. From leaving Taylor Swift lyrics behind or misquoting Benedict XVI saying “BC Sucks,” the graffiti is never boring. You cannot find this combination of creativity and violation of property anywhere else on campus.
I am thankful for the free stuff I get at sporting events. Rally towels, travel mugs, a cowbell from a hockey game and, of course, the free shirts and hats are an added bonus to getting into games for free. Some of these things seem useless, but rally towels make good dish towels and the cowbell can at least sit on my desk for decoration. At this point senior year, half of my wardrobe is supplied by Legion. No matter the usefulness, these free things are a reminder of the fun I had at them.
I am thankful for the dining hall staff. From the card swiper that says she’s blessed just like me to the stir fry station workers who do not (at least vocally) judge my picky orders. The staff is friendly and knows us more than we think they do. Thanks for helping me when I cannot get Mini Wheat’s out of the dispenser at breakfast.
This place truly is special. Without the little aspects of both campuses, I do not know if it would ever be a second home to me.
