Moreau Integration Two Moreau Integration Two Lucas Saigh Sucar e Bernardez Peggy Hnatusko Looking at What's Happening to Me on a Piece of Paper In the duration of this semester I have been looking deeper into myself. I have noticed some strengths that I have gained since I have started Notre Dame and some old flaws that have started to be erased. The way in which I first perceive others has changed and my actions towards them have evolved. What I have encountered thus far in my Notre Dame education has guided me to be a more accepting and open minded individual. Encountering new experiences and opportunities has led me to be more curious about the world around me, different cultures, backgrounds and perspectives. Ever since I was in middle school I have always set high expectations upon myself. This has not really changed over the years and even here at Notre Dame this attitude still persists. At the start of my time here I had to be a great student, participate in all possible activities, have a great social life, get a job and start preparing to get a summer internship. The following quote truly resonated with me and my past experiences “Those expectations are the bars we set for ourselves. When we meet (or surpass) them, we feel like we are worthy. If we don’t meet those expectations, we feel like the exact opposite — that we aren’t good enough.” (“Why Letting Go of Expectations is a Freeing Habit” by Julia Hogan - Moreau FYE Week Nine). After encountering that my initial expectations for college were impossible, my mindset changed. I started to ask myself why I created these in the first place. These expectations hindered me more than they could ever help. Looking to the future I plan to abandon these types of extreme expectations for myself. I need to have a clear mind and not focus on everything I could be doing. In the next few years I will not start with these high expectations and be able to achieve what I should be achieving. With this attitude I will not overthink my actions and be able to be free to enjoy my time here more. During my time here at Notre Dame my interpretation of brokenness has changed. This happened through personal experiences with my close friends and within an academic setting. The following quote caught my attention as it makes sense in my situation “The piece is more beautiful for having been broken” (“Women Find Healing Through Kintsugi Workshop” by Grotto - Moreau FYE Week 10). In my time here I have had occasions where in one of my classes I wasn't going as well as I expected. When I received my grade I felt broken but after putting in the work and improving I have never felt more confident in the subject. When I arrived My interpretation of brokenness was an abstract topic that only had negative connotations. Going through occasions where I felt broken here I now can see that it's not that simple, although you cannot hope to be broken when you do what should be expected is that you will be stronger because of it. After these feelings pass you start to feel better and better each passing day. In the https://grottonetwork.com/navigate-life/health-and-wellness/letting-go-of-expectations/?utm_source=fall_2021&utm_medium=class&utm_id=moreau https://grottonetwork.com/navigate-life/health-and-wellness/letting-go-of-expectations/?utm_source=fall_2021&utm_medium=class&utm_id=moreau https://grottonetwork.com/make-an-impact/heal/find-healing-through-kintsugi-art/?utm_source=fall_2021&utm_medium=class&utm_id=moreau future I will look to accept moments where I am broken and embrace these as I am sure I will get stronger after they occur. The importance of brokenness is to know that you can and will be able to fix yourself and remember what is said in the video “The piece is more beautiful for having been broken” (“Women Find Healing Through Kintsugi Workshop” by Grotto - Moreau FYE Week 10). In my time at highschool I had a very closed mind when it came to conflict. It was simple conflict is bad and you should stay away from it as it only serves to distract and hurt you. This has not changed until the second half of the semester here at Notre Dame. The following quote resonated with me as it shows how I was wrong. “Hard experiences—such as meeting the enemy within, or dealing with the conflict and betrayal that are an inevitable part of living closely with others—are not the death knell of community: they are the gateway into the real thing.” (“Thirteen Ways of Looking at Community” by Parker J Palmer - Moreau FYE Week 11). At the start of the second half of the semester my closest friends got into a fight. I thought to myself conflict cannot happen, it's bad. After we got everything resolved I noticed that I couldn't have been more wrong. Conflict isn't as “black and white” as I previously thought and in fact a very complicated topic. Our friend group was even closer than before the fight and we understood each other better than ever. From now on I will look at conflict as the complex topic it is. Conflict is not solely good or bad. I will not be constantly searching for conflict but if me and my friends get into it I am sure we will get out closer than before. Since I sent my application into Notre Dame the feeling of hope has been present in me. The hope to get in, the hope to succeed, the hope to fit in. I always treated hope as a feeling of little importance as there is no need for hope if you're certain of success. The following quote demonstrates how hope is essential to a disciplined Christian “Still, the first four principles of mind, heart, zeal, and family, important though they are, would have little distinctive Christian purpose apart from hope in the cross of Christ. They constitute the foundation of an education in the faith, but a person’s capacity for lifelong discipleship is hard to predicate from exam results or resumes no matter how well formed he or she may be.” (“Hope - Holy Cross and Christian Education” by Fr. James B. King - Moreau FYE Week Twelve). The quote shows how I was wrong in thinking hope was of little importance. Hope helps keep you in line and leads you to success. Without hope you would be lost and I have already noticed that my perception of hope has changed to an essential emotion. Hope will lead me through the journey which is college. https://grottonetwork.com/make-an-impact/heal/find-healing-through-kintsugi-art/?utm_source=fall_2021&utm_medium=class&utm_id=moreau http://couragerenewal.org/parker/writings/13-ways-of-looking-at-community/ https://campusministry.nd.edu/assets/105621/ https://campusministry.nd.edu/assets/105621/