When I arrived at Notre Dame for a meeting yesterday morning, I had to create my own parking space, squeezing in between a 6 foot, rusty dumpster and an overgrown Rhododendron behind the school. Every other space had been reserved for graduation, to be held later that afternoon. This day, it would be every man for himself when it came to parking. Spaces that on any other day would be unthinkable to park in, were not safe from poachers like me. Even the retired nuns who live in the convent had to guard their spots, staking them out with those sturdy, two-wheeled, 
pushcarts you see the elderly steer with authority through the grocery store. Very clever! Much better than those flimsy, nylon beach chairs the residents of Rogers Forge use during a snowstorm in winter. I mean, who’s going to have the nerve to toss an elderly person’s pushcart to make room for their Ford Expedition? As I climbed over my back seat and out the hatchback, smoothed out my skirt, and brushed back the hair from my eyes that had seconds before become entangled in an overhanging vine of some kind, I looked around and thought:
“Graduation! Last day of school! Summer hours for Bluenote! No more blog posts ’til September! What a great gig!” Then I went to my meeting.
“What the heck are you talking about?!” my boss, Cami Colarossi, the Director of Communications exclaimed.
“You know, summer…June, July, August. Tennis on Mondays and Wednesdays. 
Golf on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Lolling by the pool on Fridays. Cocktails at 4. Am I right?”
“You are so not right,” Cami said with genuine alarm. She then exchanged an exasperated glance with Anita Feeley, the Director of Advancement that read loud and clear, “How can she not know?”
“What?” I said naively.
“Summer is our busiest time,” Anita explained calmly. I looked at them both. Honestly, I thought they were joking.
“Seriously?” I challenged.
“YES!!” they cried together. “This is when it all happens. Getting ready for the next year. For things to come. The next best thing. Making it happen. Preparation. Planning…”
“Everybody?” I asked, my summer dream hanging by a thread.
“EVERYBODY!”
I sat there and contemplated the news, feeling my summer plan float away like the delicate tufts of a dandelion, which never had a chance. Bye-bye (Sigh).
What was I thinking?!
Of course we keep going! This is Notre Dame. The school that never sleeps. The people who carry the torch even when no one is looking. The keepers of the mission. The dedicated. Of course there will be things to write about and keep you informed about throughout the summer. Maybe not every week. But regularly. So stay tuned. Who knows what the summer will bring?
“I’ll have the next blog post on your desk first thing tomorrow morning,” I assured Cami, hoping to regain her trust.
I can’t say for certain…but I’m pretty sure I saw Cami and Anita wink at each other.
