A Well-Lived Moment
	Despite all the excitement of college, after a while, it gets quite repetitive. I have the same routine every week, and eventually, they all just mush together. Each week feels like the last. My only escape from this seems to be the South Shore Line. For just $14 each way, I can escape my repetitive responsibilities and spend a weekend with friends. However, in my eyes, a life well lived would be one in which I don’t have to rely on the South Shore Line to bring me to excitement. A life well-lived would be a life in which weeks and months and years don’t mush together, but rather, are all individually cherished and enjoyed. All I would like is to lie on my death bed, completely content and happy, having enjoyed all I’ve done. As Father Himes said, “The most important thing you can do in your life is to come to a point where you can say that, “this is a genuine joy for me!” (Three Key Questions by Fr. Michael Himes - Moreau FYE Week Three). A well-lived life is a life composed of well-lived moments, moments where you are fully alive and cherish life.
	Recently, I feel as if I’ve been lacking in the “well-lived moments” department. During the weeks, I’m busy and I definitely believe that I’m leading a life well-lived. However, it’s on the weekends that I’m lacking. I’ve kind of given up on Notre Dame weekends. I used to go out with my friends to parties and pretend to have fun, which definitely was not leading a life well-lived. So, I decided to stop. But watching a movie by myself isn’t leading a life well-lived either. However, this weekend, courtesy of the South Shore Line, I was once again able to experience a well-lived moment. Friday night, I saw one of my favorite bands live. I love music, yet prior to this concert, I had only been to two. Seeing The Marías live was incredible. For the first time in weeks, I genuinely experienced a well-lived moment. It wasn’t standing in a hot, crowded room in Keenan or watching a movie on my futon. It was in Chicago watching one of my favorite bands play. And the well-lived moments did not stop there. Saturday, after doing a little bit of work, I celebrated one of my friends from home’s birthday. I ate great food with great people, and I enjoyed every moment of it. This past weekend was truly well-lived.
Admittedly I was sad to leave Northwestern on Sunday. With each stop on the purple line and the red line, I began to dread going back to Notre Dame. Sure, part of this dread was founded upon my three papers and a midterm this week, but mostly it was because I was returning to watching movies on my futon. I felt as if no weekend at Notre Dame could be as well-lived as this past weekend, at least not without the help of football or hockey. But traveling from Millennium Station to the South Bend Airport on the South Shore Line gives you a lot of time to think.
As Chicago began to fade away, I realized that there truly is no reason why every weekend cannot be that well-lived. The only thing stopping every weekend from being a well-lived moment was me. I adopted a mindset of settling. I had falsely accepted that Notre Dame weekends could not be truly well-lived and settled for watching movies in my room. I thought that I would never be happy trying to make Notre Dame something that it is not. So I accepted it and settled, and I was completely wrong. I don’t expect to find out how to make my weekends well-lived right away, but I’m sure I will. And I’m sure that doing so will help me towards a well-lived life.
By adopting a mindset of not settling and striving to make every moment as well-lived as possible, I’m sure that I will lead a well-lived life. However, well-lived moments aren’t restricted to just seeing concerts and spending time with friends. There is a full spectrum of well-lived moments, and in order to lead a well-lived life, you must experience the full spectrum. One essential aspect of the spectrum is service to others. A truly well-lived life can not be lived selfishly. As Pope Francis said, “People's paths are riddled with suffering, as everything is centered around money, and things, instead of people.” (https://www.ted.com/talks/his_holiness_pope_francis_why_the_only_future_worth_building_includes_everyone/transcript by His Holiness Pope Francis - Moreau FYE Week Seven)
Others, especially those who are less privileged, must be kept in mind and helped. This summer, I am planning on volunteering on a summer service-learning program (SSLP), an opportunity which I hope to live well. Not only will I have the opportunity to devote myself to service for an extended period of time, but I will also have the opportunity to immerse myself in a new community. I will hopefully be volunteering in either Montana, Kentucky, or Alabama, three places I have never been to. Through the SSLP, I will grow as a person through both dedicated service and immersion. Part of living a well-lived life is seeing how others live, and there is no better way to experience this than through immersion.
However, if I do not end up doing the SSLP, that does not mean my summer cannot be well-lived. Perhaps I will just spend my summer in the Dominican Republic, relaxing on the beach and in my Abuela Miguey’s house. Spending my summer in such a way seems far more luxurious than dedicating my summer to service, but that does not mean that it will be any less well-lived. Taking time to relax is just as essential to a well-lived life as any other aspect. And given that I won’t be at a resort, I will still achieve some immersion and get to work on my Spanish.
Either way, so long as I enjoy my summer and it is composed of well-lived moments and experiences, it is worthy of a well-lived life. Because a well-lived life is not about dying as a conventionally successful person, but rather, living your life fully. Not every moment of my life needs to be a well-lived moment. However, I hope for a life where I can look back and be completely satisfied with my moments. So long as I can die satisfied with my moments, it will be safe to deem my life as well-lived.