Eulogy Moreau Week 8 Lindsey. Word. Period. Understanding and compassion. In the following words I will unpack my definition of a life well lived, but I also have to remember the bigger picture and forgive myself when I stray from the ideals of my definition. A life well lived is a journey of ups and downs. It’s not just going to be ups. I will struggle and I will fail. But I will also get back up. In week 1 of Moreau, when filling out the activity sheet (McDonald Center for Wellbeing), I acknowledged both my successes and failures of last semester. And I found that in my moments of failure was when I was able to grow the most, indicating how crucial failure is to a life well lived. I realized I don’t need to be perfect, especially where grades are concerned. I just got my first D on a math test and while I should be feeling badly about myself and my performance, it was actually a bonding experience after the test where everyone was just laughing at how insanely hard it was and it brought me closer with a lot of my classmates. It’s moments like that that I want to remember. Now in week 2, we watched the Hesburgh film and it got me thinking about Theology and what role that plays in a life well lived. I took my first Theology class this semester and one of my most memorable takeaways was the emphasis on relationships and how what it means to be human is to be related in love, tying me into week 7 of Moreau where we talked about certain relationships that are characteristic of a life well lived. I was always someone who sat in the back of the bus in elementary school. I didn’t talk unless someone initiated the conversation and over time, I have really tried to change that in high school and especially in college, where everyday I have met and engaged with people. That is what I want to be remembered for: my relationships with other people: my friends, family, random people I dab up outside Hayes Healy and Steppan Center after a brutal linear Algebra test. I never want failure or obsession with my work to get in the way of my relationships and interactions with others. It’s never about the math test. It’s about the people you are taking the math test with, the people you are sharing all nighters with to study, the stress that brings you together, the joy or anger or passion you share when it's over. It’s all about relationships. This is why, as we discussed in week 6, we should not worry about tomorrow and instead live for today. The video we watched about a man who was paralyzed and yet still held onto faith in God. Cast into a world of darkness, he found a light. He became a light for others around him. That for me is the epitome of a life well lived. It’s about helping others even when we ourselves are struggling. It’s about using our struggles to make us stronger. Without trying to compare struggles, during my first few weeks of this semester one of my best friends back home was hospitalized. It was hard for me to be apart from him, to know that he is thousands of miles away and I felt detached. I worried if he was going to see tomorrow and that kept me from calling and texting him, the fear that it would be the last time, the fear that he wouldn’t pick up the phone. But then I realized that all we can control is today. Like the man from the video, we have to rise above our struggles and focus on what’s important: living while we still can, calling our loved ones while we still can. I don’t want sadness or fear to ever hold me back. I want it to push me forward. In week 5, we reflected on a conversation with a loved one about our own identity. I had a conversation with my mom, and our conversation showed that my life has been about more than numbers or grades or what my mile time was. My mom told me her favorite memory of me and it wasn’t an emotional story. It was brief. It was short. But it showed me that I want to be remembered the way my mom sees me. She sees the way I interact with people, the little moments we share and how those little moments are specks on a canvas that paint my identity. It reminded me of the three key questions we discussed in week 3 from the article articulating the path to finding our purpose. When I’m making a big life decision like choosing what college to go to or discerning my major, a huge part of the process was talking to my parents, friends, professors, tennis coach, etc., because they know me in ways I don’t know or see myself in. Sometimes I think we need an outside perspective. Week 4 of Moreau, taking the career quiz, forced me to reflect on and identify aspects of my identity that will help me decide my path. It didn’t just focus on making the most money or doing something that I’m good at but not passionate about. I love electrical engineering but I am also interested in business, politics, and fashion, something I realized while taking one of the Muerelo quizzes. Gosh darn it I’m a multipotentialite, PROUD, and ready to attack different fields, disciplines, and passions. In thinking about others, the final question of “does anybody need you to do it” is also incredibly important and a reason why I love Notre Dame so much, because the school doesn’t just focus on your academic or professional success but also success measured in the way you help others, having both wisdom and courage. Lindsey. Lindsey. Lindsey. Lindsey. Lindsey. Lindsey. When you say your name over and over again, and you start thinking about it, it starts to feel foreign. You start thinking: ok so this combination of syllables is what people think of when they think of me, a person? That’s. Weird. It’s weird to think about what a name is and what it means. But names give us a sense of who we are, the communities in which we belong, and our place in the world. They are the first thing someone asks when they meet you. They will be all that’s left when we leave, the names hold the memory of our being. In “the Giver”, they chant the person's name all day until it fades out in volume and fades from their minds. I don’t want to fade out. I want to be remembered not for material or academic success but for the memory of me, the memory of my name in the minds and hearts of the people I have touched, the people I have loved. Citations "Pause for Reflection" activity sheet (McDonald Center for Wellbeing) - Moreau FYE Week 1 "Hesburgh" (Produced by Jerry Barca and Christine O'Malley) - Moreau FYE Week 2 "Three Key Questions" (adapted from Fr. Michael Himes)- Moreau FYE Week 3 "Navigating Your Career Journey” (Meruelo Family Center for Career Development) - Moreau FYE Week 4 “The Right Way to be Introspective (Yes, There’s a Wrong Way)” (Tasha Eurich, TED Conferences)- Moreau Week 6 "Chapter 8: Jurisdiction" (Fr. Greg Boyle, S.J., Tattoos on the Heart) - Moreau Week 6 https://drive.google.com/file/d/1SDVigBXg1KOCptB2vSYbFWFyLyX9xnCo/view?usp=sharing https://drive.google.com/file/d/1SDVigBXg1KOCptB2vSYbFWFyLyX9xnCo/view?usp=sharing https://canvas.nd.edu/courses/40250/modules/items/145919 https://canvas.nd.edu/courses/40250/modules/items/145929 https://undergradcareers.nd.edu/navigating-your-career-journey---moreau/ https://canvas.nd.edu/courses/40250/modules/items/145974 https://canvas.nd.edu/courses/40250/modules/items/145974 https://canvas.nd.edu/courses/40250/modules/items/168041