Musings From the Iced In

First, I would like to note that I am a confessed homebody.  I love being at home.  I love days that I can spend in my pajamas with no real plans or obligations.  I love taking a little time to be lazy.

That being said, I'm so ready to get out of this house!  Today was the second day I missed work due to the icy conditions, and it's possible I won't be able to make it in until later in the day tomorrow.  I've had time to gather my thoughts, finish the puzzle Daddy and I started at Christmas, write, read, and keep up with my exercise (indoors only).  I've also had way too much time to watch TV, which in the middle of the day mostly consists of the news, talk shows, and soap operas.  Mostly, I've chosen the news, and after two days, I can almost report the news stories by heart.

One of the most reported topics of late is - in case you are unaware and completely out of touch - Auburn won the National Championship.  For the most part, I have refrained from commenting on this.  I'm happy for the fans and the state of Alabama, but Auburn's just not my deal.  I think even Auburn fans can appreciate that.  Honestly, I am getting tired of hearing about it all, but I wouldn't take that away from the university or the fans...I know they got tired of hearing about Alabama last year, too.  And I'm not really into issuing passive aggressive ramblings and trash talk that sometimes gets a little too emotional and personal - and which I've regrettably read coming from fans of all sorts of teams...mostly SEC.  So aside from offering a congratulations, there's really not that much more for me to say about it...except, I did read an interesting article today stating that Auburn's National Championship Trophy will be displayed in the local Wal-Mart. I only note this because last year I seem to remember a number of Auburn fans making fun of Alabama for the same exact thing.  Like I said, it was an interesting article.

Even as a passionate (and all too often obsessive) Alabama fan, I've sometimes questioned our devotion to paying large amounts of money to essentially watch guys run back and forth on a field, pounding one another.  When you sit around thinking about it for too long, it starts to sound downright absurd...especially when you think about the millions of dollars some guys make playing football - and other sports - as their "job."  To hear players talk about the game or the season, you'd think they had just been to war.  Sometimes, I think the battle imagery and the significance we place on the "game" is too much.  And maybe sometimes it is.  But as I watched the other major news stories of the past couple of days - the shooting in Tucson - the flooding in Australia - I started to consider the true importance of celebrations like the National Championship Game.  Even in the face of great tragedy, celebrations bring us a moment of respite...they give us permission to smile, to laugh, to be joyous.  Celebrations, be they a game or a birthday or a beautiful day, remind us of the reasons that we persevere through the struggles that we do.

In a world where our daily lives are filled with battles - some great, some small - it's cathartic to be able to rally together with fellow fans behind a team that we love.  We cheer their triumphs, and we bemoan their failures.  We love a good comeback, and we appreciate a success story that comes from the most unexpected place.  We trash talk opponents because somehow our team is more talented, more moral, more worthy, more deserving than our foes.  Maybe it's true, maybe it isn't...but it gives us something to get behind.  Isn't that reflective of our own lives?  Doesn't it reflect the success that we desire for ourselves.  Doesn't it give us an outlet for our competitive spirit?  Even the Bible refers to life like a race to be won or lost.  It's in us to strive to win, to finish the race.    

Maybe I'm thinking too much into it.  I have been stuck in the house for a while now.  I guess that sometimes we - myself included - get a little too involved with our "teams."  We place a little too much importance on winning and losing, and in our elation or our defeat, we go a little too far.  However, in time, the excitement of winning fades and the sting of loss dissolves.  Life equalizes and returns to normal.  And in those moments, as we return to our own daily battles, our own triumphs and tragedies, we move forward with the assurance that just around the corner...is NEXT SEASON!

CONGRATULATIONS, AUBURN!  AND, AS ALWAYS, ROLL TIDE!