Lessons from a Football Saturday

Leave it to my brain to wander to deeper musings while Notre Dame's home opener for the 2013 football season is going on right before my eyes...

Here are a few "lessons" learned from Saturday:

1) Never trust the weatherman. 80 and partly cloudy/sunny does not equal 80 and partly cloudy/sunny. I even told my roommate that she would not need a rain jacket for the day...oops. Guess who's not living that one down...

2) Always wear sunscreen (and bring your sunglasses), even when it's raining and overcast because, inevitably, the sun will come out. (And then you might get burned...though, luckily, that didn't happen this time around.) And then, it will be beautiful!

3) One person's cheering really makes no difference when taken in isolation. Face it, the players on the field can't hear what you're saying. However, taken as a whole, the crowd makes all the difference. If the crowd's dead, the players are dead, as evidenced by the second quarter. (ND (and the fans) better pick it up for the Big House game next weekend...)

4) Life is short...eat dessert...especially when it's from Ritter's. (Always a good life decision, right Marisa?)

5) Remember to always dress the part and act like a native/local. You'll fit right in...and if you know the cheers, you'll have more fun. It's okay to ask someone to explain the "rules"/"codes" of the stands, so ask. Better to know the reasoning/story behind the tradition than to do it mindlessly. (Maybe this is just a personal preference, but I like to know the story before I partake in the ritual.) There is quite a lot of history at Notre Dame...

6) When given the opportunity to attend Mass, even after a long, hard day of cheering and football, go! The ACE Mass did not disappoint this weekend - it was filled with singing and joyful hearts, as well as a brief to-the-point homily by Fr. Nuzzi. Even though we were all tired, Mass encouraged us to reach deeper and encounter Christ in the Eucharist. What a great end to the day!

7) Pizza is probably one of man's greatest inventions of all time, right up there with the microwave and play-doh. Nothing tastes better than a piping hot pizza with all the toppings after not having eaten for hours. And pizza with friends? Even better.

Ok, so my mind wandered a lot yesterday - and, admittedly, there were times when my mind (and heart) weren't fully in the game (not that it wasn't a good one!), but all-in-all, it was a good decision to go to the game and a worthwhile trip. Yay South Bend!

Until November, Notre Dame...