Finding Family

I am gearing up for the Super Bowl.

I paid some attention to the talk last week but it was tough because 107% of what I heard concerned underinflated footballs.

I will try to steer clear of the too easy too obvious ball jokes because that approach has taken on a life of its own.

I have to admit a lot of it was funny. Belichick tried to minimize it in his press conference by using the word football - it was obvious he was making a conscious effort.

Brady was not so cautious. As a result a lot of comedians put together a lot of routines with Brady's comments spliced in and they were pretty goddamn funny.

Even Lawrence O'Donnell on MSNBC put together an extended shtick on his show.

Apparently even pseudo-intellectuals cannot resist ball jokes.

Anyway....................I am going to dive in this week. Christ, it's THE PATS in the Super Bowl - again. Why not?

Carol is always telling me I am too hard on myself, I need to lighten up, I need to enjoy things more.

She's right.

So this week is my week. To indulge, revel, roll around in and enjoy the fact that THE NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS are making their eighth appearance in this  monumental game.

And to look forward to experiencing this game with Carol, Keith, Emily, Craig, Karen and Eddie.

I hunger for victory.

Watched a segment on the NFL network - or ESPN - called "Finding Family." It was about football players on the winning team at the Super Bowl who immediately fight their way through the on-field crowd to find their family sitting in the stands.

Guys who get so emotional as their sons and daughters are handed down to them from the stands by their wives, who then climb down to join the celebration.

Players who seek out their parents in the stands to get them down on the field to celebrate with.

Brothers, sisters - the people who mean the most to these guys.

Guys just standing on the field pointing towards the stands and where they know their family is sitting. A personal moment in a sea of insanity.

I love the shots of massive football players holding tiny sons in their arms as confetti reigns down, music blares, lights flash, tears flow and young, wide open eyes take it all in.

Guys who win the Super Bowl have achieved something they have worked their entire life for.

Sacrificed, sweated, hurt, worried, wondered and dreamed for and about.

What an amazing feeling that must be to have a passion that consumes you. To dedicate yourself completely to working as hard as you can to turning that passion into success. Through pain and doubt and set backs and unpredictability. For your entire life. To hold that trophy in your hands as the ultimate symbol of just how far you have come. The ultimate symbol of the ultimate success.

It doesn't end there. It ends with family.

These guys look for their precious family because those are the people who count. The people who sacrificed along with them, who encouraged them and believed in them.

The people the players want to protect and reward and take care of and say thank you to.

The people the players get love from and give their love to.

As this week moves on I am sure I will get stupid about it all. The TV hype will get bigger and more repetitive. Too many words will be spoken, too many opinions will be rendered.

"Finding Family" was a good base to work from. A good start. It made the significance of this game more real and more human.

I will enjoy this game heartily.

My enjoyment will be magnified exponentially through the company of Carol, Craig, Karen, Keith, Emily, and Eddie.

That is where it's really at, baby.