iExamen

I can honestly say I was happy when we were assigned the iExamen. Last semester I took a theology class and we brushed upon the different ways to do the Examen and the reasoning behind it. Usually, as I walk back to my dorm from class or right as a lay down before bed, I take some time to just think. Typically, instead of thinking about my day in the moment, my mind wonders and I start daydreaming or thinking about the past. On Saturday, I focused and Saturday and Saturday only.

There was nothing completely out of the blue that I noticed. I did not have some incredible realization that will change my life forever, but it was definitely nice to really take in each part of a day. I am happy I chose Saturday, a day for my usual activities. I suppose in a way my Examen began Friday night, well around 3am when I finally laid down to sleep for the night. All week, I set alarm to be sure that I won’t sleep through class. The most relaxing feeling was going to bed without having to worry about when to wake up, or where I needed to be, or what had to be done. I could just sleep, my favorite part of the weekend or any day really.

When I woke up, I went on with my usual activities; ate some breakfast, watched some TV, nothing out of the blue. It wasn’t until I was getting dressed for the gym that I had my first “moment”, I suppose. I have never been one to be crazy obsessed with working out or going to the gym, but this semester I have gone almost everyday of the week. It is continuously a drag to get bundled up for the long walk in the cold to the FAC. On this particular Saturday afternoon, I felt so happy to being going to the gym. When I took a second to realize what I was getting ready for…a relaxing feeling came over me. I was excited to go, work out, use my energy for a good reason. After working out, I sat in the sauna for about twenty minutes. To me this is the best place to “examine” my day. Everyone is quiet, relaxed, and sweating out their bad energy. I realized how nice it was to just be in the moment and I tried to tattoo this feeling in my head forever.

It was not until about 9 o'clock at night that I “unplugged” myself from communication. This was not challenging whatsoever. My roommates and I have the ability to sit with each other and talk about the most random things forever. I made some dinner and sat at the table with one of my roommates about our families and how similar they are. We talked and talked and before I knew it, it was 10:15pm. I wasn’t checking the clock on the microwave every 3 minutes, and it was so nice just not to care. Another great feeling was turning on my phone and hearing the text roll in. Not going to lie, I was a little nervous no texts would come. That would perhaps put a damper on my uplifting day.

Overall, nothing crazy happened that day, but I am okay with that. I am grateful that I can go through my day doing what I want to do without so many worries clogging my brain. I think I should take some time to realize this more often.