Life in a Bubble: My Life, Then and Now...

Being in a new and unfamiliar environment always makes me turn to thoughts of where I have been in the past at the same calendar time as present. So here is a quick review of my life as it has been during the month of September...

1983...one month old...and nothing much to report as I do not recall this time, but I am sure that I was doing my best to keep my parents awake at night and giving as much trouble as I could if things did not go my way...as they often did not.
1986...Doing my best to keep mom busy, after all if she was not watching me, what else was there to do? I would hide in the woods and let her scream my name until I had thought that she wanted me back sufficiently enough...and then would emerge all smiles! That stopped with my new wardrobe of bright oranges and neons, but the neighbors bringing me home still continued...
1988...Kindergarten was a blast, loved my teacher, loved my classmates, loved school! St. Patrick's School (pop. circa 80) was where I was at during the day, with the fun school bus ride to and from school in the morning!
1991...Homeschooled now, so I probably did not get up until around 9 and depending on how mom was feeling that morning I did or did not put my effort into my schoolwork. Especially when you have an annoying three year old sister who does her utmost to distract my brother and I...when she was not on one of her 100 Dalmatians marathons (watch, rewind, watch, rewind, watch, rewind...she killed the tape in two years) and me in the other room quoting the entire thing by memory..."How are you Cruella? -Miserable darling as usual; perfectly retched."
1995...Just came back from the Legionaries of Christ's summer camp in Center Harbor New Hampshire. Home never looked so good! I had a little fun showing off my new soccer skills to my always more athletic brother and actually was better than him! So all that unwanted soccer playing did some good...but that soon faded as I had come to detest the sport and all others!!! The habits of daily life at the legion followed suit!
1997...Freshman year...felt no different, other than the math had just become harder and more annoying...again!!! I was the perfect Catholic homeschooler...and by now you are all gagging...yes I know, but such I was! I served mass at a Latin Mass (Novus Ordo) every Sunday (about 10 families attending...all homeschooled). I dressed like I was from the 1950's with my hair slicked to the one side and my shirts always buttoned all the way up to the color...and heaven forbid that I should have my t-shirts untucked! Music was all Irish Folk, Chant, or Classical...since popular music was all from the devil, and if it caused plants to die, think what it would do to my impressionable mind!
2000...I was coming out of my shell and practicing for the upcoming performance in a community theater production of A Christmas Carol after having been in the Music Man earlier in the year. I went to a salon for the first time and got my hair cut short with bangs and actually started not to tuck my T-shirts in (I felt like such a rebel)! The cultural exodus had begun!
2002...Freshman year at Magdalen College. Woke up at 6:25 with the lights suddenly turning on and burning out my eyes, and by 7:15 I was showered, dressed (Jacket and Tie), chores done (the bathroom and rooms were sparkling), wardrobe and unmentionables drawer in order and checked (all hangers neatly spaced, socks in a row and bed as flat as an iron), and sitting in the chapel, just in time for 7:30 Mass. Then breakfast, three classes, lunch, chores or sports (i.e. "chores"), showered again, supper, mandatory studies and silence until night prayer at 9:15, and I would be in bed by 9:30 (no later than ten) with my books in descending order and pulled to the edge of the shelf lest I get called out of bed in the dark by the flashlight wielding proctors for a book a full millimeter out of line.
2004...Woke up for Morning Prayer (I actually did in those days) in the hobbit hole of room 307 in Rosa Mystica or the new SJV of Ave Maria after Nick Rottman knocked on my door with the usual "Morning Brendan!" Spent the rest of the day going to classes (if the mood struck me) and whiling the day away distracting Joe Gates from his homework and cooking something instead. Ended the day with a trip to the wonderful grazing grounds of EMU's DC-1 and evening prayer with Fr. Ed and the other Pre-Thee guys (unless it was Tuesday and I got a wonderful dose of Dr. Dietrich!). Went to bed around 10pm...or midnight....or 1...or Joe and I got the random urge for something at Meijers...
2006...Morning prayer and Mass at 7:15, classes, holy hours, breakfast, lunch, and dinner (very good food...I am in danger of becoming fat!) formation talks, and spiritual advice with evening prayer at 5:15 fills my day now. I spend my whole day inside the Seminary, not daring to go out much because it's Detroit and...need I say more? Needless to say, the farm boy in my is going crazy, I am not used to averting my eyes and not being friendly lest someone take it the wrong way and do something scary, and I need some fresh air!!! I get what I can in the interior courtyard with one solitary tree and very square confines...they really need a garden here...a natural all plants, no grass and no square lines or anything garden!