I am a high-energy person but I can easily get stressed out. One thing that helps this out is our biweekly outing to the country. We often hike to a small medieval village or play volleyball. All the while, we are breathing fresh country air.
Last week, I hiked in the morning and played volleyball in the afternoon. I also conversed with a few dozen brothers on a wide range of themes: everything from how incompetent our volleyball team was (getting it over the net was a success) to the diachronic nature of the college of bishops related to infallibility (basically, for the teaching of the bishops to be infallible, need they all agree at one time or throughout history?).
During this exam period, I am often spending 16 to 18 hours a day in my little 10’ by 16’ (3m by 5m) fiefdom, also known as my room. I sleep, wash up, study, and pray there. Between the natural difficulty that comes with exams and the drudgery of the same room, something needs to be done. I moved my desk to give myself another view but it doesn’t suffice.
Fortunately, God has a better plan through our superiors: escape from the fiefdom into God’s creation. During exams, we go out to the country every week. A little break from everyday life helps each of us, and the country shows us God’s beautiful providence.
