Well, here it is Thursday already, four days after the BRONCOS WON THE SUPERBOWL. I hope if you like reading about cooking and food that you’ve visited both the preview and the review of my menu and maybe tried out something.
What impressed me especially about the evening was the warmth and camaraderie in the room as we all watched something we cared about. That’s what made the occasion special, although it was nice that we won. (WE WON!) I try to explain to my son the anti-football person that it’s not really a matter so much of liking the game; I watch very few non-Broncos matchups. It’s more of a cultural thing, at least for me. I thoroughly enjoy watching a game with my family. It’s a way for us to participate in an activity together, to be unified. We all get along quite well anyway, so it’s not as if we’re at each other’s throats the rest of the time or anything like that. It’s just fun, the kind that creates a warm memory. The fact that WE WON (okay, I’ll stop) didn’t make a dab of difference in my own life; I actually came down with something on Tuesday and spent two miserable days on the couch and in bed.
I was reminded of the truth that the loneliest place in the world can be at a party where you don’t know anyone; the saddest place to be is where everyone’s celebrating except for you. We have a family friend who’s going through a divorce right now, a situation definitely not of his own making. He’d been invited to several parties, including ours, but ended up watching the game alone. His soon-to-be-ex-wife is a diehard Broncos fan, so all the breathless anticipation and celebration was simply a reminder for him of the broken relationship. It’s all about the emotional connections and not about the event itself.
Tuesday was the parade and rally in downtown Denver. I really kind of wanted to go, but I was sick, and I just didn’t know how we’d ever find a parking space. (If you didn’t see the event on TV you can view some great shots Bronco’s Superbowl Parade shots here.) The question is, why do people do this? Why do they go to the trouble and effort to attend an event in person when they could just watch it at home? I’m reminded of our time in Washington D.C. which coincided with the 2008 election of Barack Obama. Our church was on Capitol Hill, within easy walking distance of the Mall, and one of our pastors (who lived on the property) took his two young sons and attended the inauguration. Why go through the hassle, even the somewhat-minimized hassle of a nearby resident? Because he wanted to be there, to be present at an historic event. To be with all the other people there. I can understand how he felt. We made the pilgrimage many times to see the fireworks on the Mall on July 4th, even though it was an unbelievable amount of effort.
Well, I’ve wandered rather far afield from the initial point of this post. I’ve been reminded as I wrote of a book recommended by Gretchen Rubin, Crowds and Power by Elias Canetti. I tried to read it once before and was completely baffled, but now I’m more interested in its subject than ever and so am going to make another attempt. Watch for it here!
Not “freaked out”–appalled. Chicken liver should be avoided at all costs.
Yes, you were freaked out. Totally.