Prest 

Espeseth IR
28 February 2022
Curating a Good Eulogy
	All I do is move around. My whole life, I have always enjoyed my time in a certain location, but there has always been the question: what’s next? When are we moving after this? Where are we going, and how will I adjust there, make friends, and like it compared to where I am now? It feels like I do this life thing at a million miles per hour, and I think college has made me slow down and realize that this is not a sustainable way to live. I want to be remembered as someone who lived her life deliberately and truthfully, as someone who cared deeply about her relationships and had a positive impact wherever she went. By starting now, I feel like it is not too late to make this adjustment, and that this type of change could be good for me.
	Anna Margaret Prest was a tall, commanding, sometimes domineering woman. However, once one took the time to get to know her and her slightly complex personality, they would be rewarded for their efforts to find that she was a genuine and loving individual. She was an asshole, but sometimes she was a funny asshole. Anna loved spending time with her family and chosen family, especially her best friends Mary and Elizabeth, whom she met while at Notre Dame. Upon commissioning, she married her college sweetheart. She served her career in the military, first as a Naval Flight Officer for ten years and then as a Foreign Affairs Officer in Japan for the next twenty. After she retired, Anna enjoyed working out every day and going for long walks with her Great Danes, Bernard and Stanley. She prioritized being outside and in nature, which made her feel calm and centered. She passed peacefully in her sleep at the age of 100, approximately four minutes after midnight on her birthday, because she was steadfastly determined to be a centenarian. 
	Since getting to college, I have found that time management is one of my biggest challenges in living a good, balanced life. A quote I found shocking from the article I read in Moreau week one was “it takes an average of twenty-five minutes to recover from a phone call.” I often feel a sense of exhaustion after meeting with someone or talking for long periods of time. It benefits me to take breaks from my phone and disconnect from the online world to take in the physical one around me. Additionally, I have come to accept that I can dabble in a bunch of areas and really explore in college to see what I truly enjoy. Fr. Hesburgh is a great example of this in the film Hesburgh, which profiles his life as not just a priest and president of Notre Dame, but also highlights his roles as a diplomat and mediator. Being an ever-changing person with a dynamic personality is something that excites me and that I hope to incorporate into my own life. Another big question that has taken up a large amount of my brain power this semester is, “how do I find what brings me joy?” One tactic I have taken from Fr. Himes’ publication is, “Where do you ask more and more questions?” I definitely have surprised myself with how much I enjoy my theology courses and am now adding the subject as a minor, much to my delight. If you had told me 2 years ago that I would be taking numerous courses in theology and getting excited about the topic, I probably would have called you a liar. Similarly, one thought I found interesting from the Career Center article was, “Put aside the thought that you are deciding your career path when picking your major.” This is especially true for me because since I know my initial career path post-college, I don’t really have to worry about my major. This has taken a lot of stress off of me and allowed me to pursue what I am genuinely passionate about. 
	The people in my life have had the most influence on my life so far. One of these individuals is Mary Cannon, my dear friend in NROTC, who feels like a sister to me. She has been a grounding force in my freshman college experience with her level head and practical approach to every problem I have. When we sat down to have an honest conversation about our relationship for week six of Moreau, it was very healthy and productive. She told me how selfless I was, which felt really good to hear because I am always petrified of coming off as selfish or self-centered. Also, Mary told me I have an ambitious desire to be successful without stepping on or using others, which stuck with me. Her calling me out on my impulsive behavior, however, has been a wake-up call for me and something I have been working on for the last few weeks. Finally, for week seven I found myself wondering how I could find more people like Mary (key word “like” because there is no one that tops her). After reading the excerpt from Tattoos on the Heart, I realized that you don’t just seek out these people; they fall into your lap. I want to be like the waitress who treated the gang members like regular customers, who they described as “Jesus in an apron.” Sometimes all it takes is a couple seconds to impact someone in a positive way, and I want to have that effect on people. 
	Through self-reflection throughout this semester, I have found that the less “looking forward” I do, the happier I am. Living in the moment and taking care of my relationships is how I want to look back on my existence and define how I lived my own unique good life: authentically, laughing constantly, and taking obstacles as they come. I hope at the end of my time on Earth I can look back and not have any regrets or “what if” moments. I think taking some chances and being forgiving with myself is the healthiest way for me to live my life.


Weeks Cited
Week 1 - “Why we need to slow down our lives” - Pico Iyer https://ideas.ted.com/why-we-need-a-secular-sabbath/ 
Week 2 - Hesburgh film https://okta.nd.edu/app/universityofnotredame_panopto_1/exk13lykiqNLbwS7H357/sso/saml?SAMLRequest=jZLNbsIwEIRfJfI9MYEAjQVItKgqEm2jQnvoBTnJAhaJ1%2FU6Lbx9HejvperJ1mrHM9%2BuRyTryohp43b6AV4aIBfMZ2O2jkuZ5GWchjId9MJE9uMwz4d5eJEkkOb5Jr0YJCx4AksK9Zh1ow4L5kQNzDU5qZ0vdbrdsNMLO8kq7os4Fv1B1E2fWTDzJkpLdxLunDMkOMe9k5EuIygbLo3hjVav7ePuiBuNzkIpa1gbqdE4XMccDvu4Vx336uVukb8thze9%2FpATIW%2BBWHCNtoAT1ZhtZEXQpsskkX%2F1q5JZdFhgdal0qfR2zBqrBUpSJLR3I%2BEKsZzeLoSnE%2Fm5icTNapWF2f1yxYIpEdiW4wo1NTXYJdhXVcDjw%2BKb7Ct9tENyUEYfEFGBNc%2FOd39ugXgbmC9wq3QkyRxYcKgrTeK0o7%2FTmQ8UNhm13eK0CvtD%2F7dcfoKwyX9ij%2FgPk7OjEXe%2Bdz7LsFLFMZhWFb5dWZDOj9vZxk%2BbT86y379t8g4%3D&RelayState=%2FPanopto%2FPages%2FViewer.aspx%3Fid%3D10159379-7eca-4549-8581-ab9500c9ecd9&SigAlg=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.w3.org%2F2000%2F09%2Fxmldsig%23rsa-sha1&Signature=uCuNpHO%2FDDL79YnFC5XCVOIEjfXiupG4ueobCokDU4c4TlHFM5zjiQDguUvBEMeidqwUWqCGMK%2F89GkVripC3Y3i%2FLj40m4f0WNliyBB6xfXb0Pb1lRUCxotes2Gnap6XJPTPwzXxH2vfnVFrm3U0PuZQLmSux69t4oWpqSeEtwX5KbBCJu7p%2BLpPyyOQKGGGc9CcQ4o19eUX03hl5uc0oLvZWtnjpyrLo7Q6V1paPsYHTkabBVWnucIDl2DhcGm9uL1NjJv%2FShhD6Vj9BFewAuHisDU9tSP5Jr5bkD0xEX3STxHBOTZ%2FIdz7A777LfCkvxkaJLprb6uJL4c%2BpmqSA%3D%3D 
Week 3 - Three Key Questions - Fr. Michael Himes Download "Three Key Questions" (adapted from Fr. Michael Himes)
Week 4 - Merulo Center for Career Development https://undergradcareers.nd.edu/navigating-your-career-journey---moreau/ 
Week 5 - my conversation with Mary Cannon, done in South Dining Hall :) 
Week 6 - Mindfulness Menu https://drive.google.com/file/d/1SEXhurkurERNVdy8sgNwZaAKTAr-385q/view 
Week 7 - Tattoos on the Heart - Fr. Greg Boyle