Lessons on love at Notre Dame

I am the kind of person who tries to find love in the tiniest places. Sure, it's easy to find love in the hug of a friend or in the words “I love you." But I think it's much more meaningful to look for it in places you don’t always expect it. As a sad senior who doesn’t want to leave Notre Dame, I have been reflecting on all of the places here where I have been able to find love and on all of the lessons that I have learned from loving those around me.

1. The basement of South Dining Hall

If I made one correct decision in all of my time at Notre Dame, it was getting involved with The Observer. If I could do anything differently, it would be to join my first year. There is no way to accurately describe the way that walking into the basement of South Dining Hall feels like coming home. I find love in sitting in the office until the early hours of the morning just to be moral support for everyone else who still needs to finish up production. I find love in picking up a can of Diet Coke and immediately making fun of Andrew and Joche who I know are drinking regular Coke. I find love in knowing that I can kick a soccer ball around incredibly poorly and write messages on a filing cabinet out of magnetic letters. I might go insane the second I enter the basement, but it is only because I feel so surrounded by love that I can be my most real self.

2. The hallways of Lyons Hall

I was built for the RA life. I almost cried tears of joy the other night because I had a group of residents hanging out in my room – sitting on my couch, laying on my floor, eating my snacks. I’ve been nervous about being able to love all 48 of the girls who live on my floor enough, about making it clear I want to be here to support them. But I’ve been able to find that love and show my support in so many ways. I find love in sitting at my whiteboard erasing the date and rewriting it, hoping that someone will stop by and talk to me. (Hi Ellie, Kathryn and Hayden.) I find love in sitting on Anna’s futon in the middle of the first floor hallway, accosting everyone who walks past me. I find love in my karaoke rounds when I serenade everyone who is showering. I only hope that the love for my Taylor Swift impression is reciprocated. I find the most love in knowing that my candy bowl will be empty the second after I fill it – and I find the most love in hearing everyone talk to each other out in the hallway outside of my door. 

3. The various studios in Riley Hall and the West Lake Design Studio

I take on a lot of projects. There is no easy way to say it, but I am almost always working on four or five projects at a time. I might not always love working on these projects, but the place I work on them is something which makes them worth doing. I find love in the BFA studio of West Lake where I can sit and see all of the incredible projects that my friends work on and gain inspiration on how to be a better designer. I find love in the ceramics studio, blasting Taylor Swift so loudly that I cannot hear when someone walks up behind me. I find love in the photography studio, helping Jessica take photos of herself for her thesis. I have found love in the support of my thesis advisor, Sarah, who lets me stumble into thesis meetings in absolute shambles as I try to explain my newest breakthrough. The random studios in these buildings have been able to drive me insane while grounding me at the same time – and I have loved every second.

4. The big diagonal across South Quad

Hi Mom. Hi Dad. I find love in knowing that I can call my parents any time I step outside of my dorm. Are my AirPods in my ears? Nine times out of ten, I am on the phone with my parents. I have found the most love in my walk across the South Quad diagonal as I try to find something new to talk to my parents about since I have probably already called them about twelve times that day. I have also found love on the diagonal across South Quad when I walk back with my old roommate, Marissa, from Duncan Student Center, listening to Pitbull songs and making up parodies to fit it with Lyons Hall (ask us about Hotel Room Service).