Inundation

Well, I have been at it for three days now (the new semester that is), and I am beginning to get that old feeling again. It is a sort of knot in the pit of the stomach that asks, "How will I ever get it all done?" Papers, reading, papers, reading, Mass, penance, lunch, papers, reading, and so it goes. I have found that there are several approaches employed by the men at the beginning of the semester.

The first is the whiner. He complains (not altogether unlike the first paragraph of this post), drinks ten cups of coffee before his first class, walks with slouched shoulders and furrowed brow, and seems as though the weight of the world is resting upon him. He hopes that his demeanor will somehow communicate to the professors how put upon he is, and therefore inspire them to reduce their assignments. The best thing to say to this sort is, "Grow up you big baby." (This would be an appropriate time for you, dear reader, to say the same to me.)

The second sort is the Midwest Farmer sort. He walks quickly, eats quickly, speaks seldom, and prays hard. He is practical and blunt. His response to most things is, "That's the way things are." He laughs when necessary, but mostly, he does what he has to do, and he gets it done. Then he might drink a beer.

There is another sort harder to name, but I shall call them the heroic sort. Their approach to homework is "Bring it on!" You assign it, and I'll do it just to prove that I can. These sort have a certain jocularity about them; one might wonder if they get an adrenaline rush from completing an assignment. They seldom rest between assignments, and they have fantastic time management skills. Though all men have periods where they are able to behave this way, only a minority can sustain this approach for more than a few days.

The junkie is rather simple to describe. He somehow manages to play basketball, run, and work out for long periods each day. He will try to steer the conversation towards sporting events at meals. And, he still miraculously finishes his most essential work the moment before it is due. This same characteristic is demonstrated by the followers of the political scene and theological debaters.

Most men, however, tend to oscillate between these approaches. They whine, they get over it, and then they get it done. They (mostly) resist the urge to become cynical, and are a pleasure to be around. They smile, tell stories of their childhood and college days at meals, and are genuinely concerned for the welfare of the other men in the community. They work at balance: homework, prayer, exercise, community life, pastoral work. They have fun when they can and don't complain when they are called upon to work. They love Jesus, and hope that in the work they do (even when they feel inundated), they will be drawn closer and be conformed more to him.

Work and Pray, St. Benedict teaches us. Work and pray, brothers.