Giving Thanks

Yes, Thanksgiving was once again hosted at our home, and another turkey was sacrificed to the gods of tradition. *Sigh*

My parents came to visit and the four of us (the RandBalls and the Olsons) sat around, visited with each other, and--most of all-- ate.

Thanksgiving is such an important holiday in this day and age. We so often forget to express our gratitude. We take things for granted. We expect that life will happen the way we plan. It's difficult to come to grips with the fact that everything in our lives is mutable, and nothing is to be taken for granted.

I know it's rather morbid, but I often think about what I would do without RandBall, or what would happen if I got into a terrible accident and couldn't notify him myself. I think of all types of scenarios, partly in order to prepare myself, and to a degree, I feel my subconscious is constantly reminding me not to take my blessings for granted. My mother is the same way. When I leave for a trip by plane, my mother always sends me off with the same phrase, "Don't get dead." In her mind, voicing this ensures that nothing bad will happen because the likelihood that you would predict something so terrible is so minuscule, that she feels in some superstitious way, she's preventing the very fate she hints at. From my perspective, this could become a psychosomatic fulfillment of prophesies- and my superstitious tendencies compel me to knock on wood. So, I often don't voice my thoughts. I do so here only to illustrate the point- that we seldom take the time to be grateful.

Why does our society use Thanksgiving Day to focus on food and prosperity? I know how the story goes; that the pilgrims celebrated the harvest and their partnership with the American Indians to bring forth such bounty. However, in a society filled with such abundance, why is the focus on food? Why don't we instinctively look to the others around the table, and take a moment to share our gratitude with one another; for live, for happiness, for the struggles that taught us valuable lessons, and most of all, for each other?

So I suppose I'll lead by example:

This Thanksgiving, I'm thankful for my new husband, my lovable pug, my home and work and education. I'm thankful for my family, for my parents, and for my relationships with family and friends. I'm thankful for the learning and growth that these relationships have brought me, even though many of them were complicated by family dynamics, situational drama, and emotional pain. I'm thankful for my growing self-awareness, and for the person I have become. I have been making new friends-- something that evokes a very childlike excitement in me--and I've encountered and fostered relationships with some very strong mentors and role models. This is a time leading up to a great career transition in my life, and for all of those who helped me through it, I am eternally grateful.

Photo courtesy of istockphoto.com

Opposites Attract (My apologies if this gets the song of the same title stuck in your head...)

So, Mr. RandBall and I have varying interests. The first time I met his father, he asked me a simple question, "So, you're a sports fan?" and I had a simple answer, "No, not really." Aghast, Michael's father looked from son to future daughter-in-law, not knowing what to say. RandBall jumped in, "It's kind-of nice, actually. I can come home and talk about something other than sports."

My favorite story from RandBall's business travel was when he went to the East Coast to cover a tournament. (In my version of the story, the teams and the sport in question are too minor to mention. :) During his off-time, RandBall went to the local art museum, to take in come culture. Upon returning to his hotel, and finding his colleagues gathered in the hotel bar, watching a game on TV over some brews, they asked, "Where've you been?" "The art museum," he plainly responded. The other men were surprised (and probably poked fun at him.)

Well, I'm proud of RandBall. Culture; whether it be art, music, theatre, or culture with respect to community; fraternizing with other cultural groups, tasting the cuisine of other cultures, or simply reflecting on the cultural differences of any place you visit in comparison to home... this is what makes travel worthwhile. Yes, sometimes RandBall travels for work-related purposes, but I'm happy to know that he will take the time, if possible, to get to know the cities he's visiting.

Now, there's also the aspect of the Deaf Community, a cultural group I've become involved with in my studies to become a Sign Language interpreter. Now, RandBall has attended a few Deaf Community events with me, and each time, he struggles to understand those around him, and often will use my services as an interpreter, to express himself. After the first outing of this kind, I was surprised at RandBall's willingness to be surrounded by people whose language he didn't understand. Diplomatically, he responded, "Well, when you come out to one of my work events, everyone talks about sports, and you don't know what they're talking about. This is pretty much the same thing- so I can tough it out for you." *Sigh!* I'm not sure where I found this gem of a man, but I'm thankful for him.

The Seurat painting pictured above is from the Art Institute of Chicago. RandBall and I contemplated this exact painting years ago (We were just like in the picture, but blonder.)

Where would we be if RandBall had no interest in the arts and culture? Well, it would've been a tough battle... and I don't know whether we'd be married now. Luckily, there was no ultimatum that I be baptized as a sports fan prior to our union. Though I continue waver between believing that sports are a capitalist venture, and believing that "It doesn't matter whether you win or lose, it's how you play the game," RandBall tends to enjoy my naive comments about the industry. Many a time, RandBall has responded to one of my quips with, "I'm going to include that in my blog," or "I can't wait to tell Taco you said that!!" And, to tell you the truth- I've found this is my role... to comment on the industry as an outsider, that the "insiders" can contemplate why something is the way it is. Is that not what art does? Good art challenges it's listeners, viewers, readers, etc. No, I suppose you can't take the art out of an artist. So, maybe it follows that you can't take the sport out of a fan. So, I might as well be creative with my sports fanatic husband... as long as he takes me to a museum or the theatre every now and then... or humors me by coming to another Deaf Community event. Now that's teamwork!

Photo courtesy of www.gallagher.com

I had hope, dammit!

RandBall commenter, and closest friend, Rocket, came to visit last week. We had dinner at his favorite restaurant, and talked Purple Jesus. It's pretty well understood that I'm not a sports fan. However, I admitted to getting choked up at Santana's shut out game last season, and Rocket exclaimed, "See, that's why we become sports fans." We get glimpses of pure physical genius- we get to watch players who are in the zone- who are playing their best game ever... a game that will never be matched.

It's so dramatic- I swear sports fans are the most romantic of us all. They are believers- they are superstitious, they root for a team against all odds. And finally one day their team wins.

After this visit, I started to have faith in the Vikings. Though they suffer terrible losses, and there are times where it's a true embarrassment to be a fan, there is still a point in "rooting for the loser" as I ranted against in my last post. I started to sympathize with the fans. I started to understand their plight- and began to validate it.

And then the Vikings blew it against the Packers. To top it off, Adrian Peterson was injured- the team's one asset. Is this a team that begs it's viewers to root for them against all odds? Are they even able to consider the fans, when they can barely scrape together a defense?

*Sigh* Who am I to complain? I don't have season tickets- and I didn't watch the majority of the Vikings vs. Packers game. The players make millions of dollars, and we fans are the lowly proletariat. Maybe we expect too much of the athletes which our society have put on a pedestal. Perhaps, like leap year, we must wait patiently for those glimpses of genius. Leave the Vikings hat in the closet, and step away from the television. Maybe in seven years we'll have the team you're ready to root for.

Picture courtesy of www.istockphoto.com

Rooting for the Loser

This past Sunday, I was witness to another infamous Viking's "game." RandBall thought I was successfully doing my duty as Viking's team good luck charm as we drove to a local quipster's home, listening to the first quarter on the radio. However, the luck changed for the worst as we settled onto the couch for the rest of the game. Luckily, I had a one week old infant to coddle (local quipster's spawn), and was not too engaged in the game. However, for the two young men, it was a disaster. They resorted to eating their pepperoni pizza and badmouthing the very team they are fans of.

Which brings me to the topic of this post. Dictionary.com defines a fan (in this context) as: "an enthusiastic devotee, follower, or admirer of a sport, pastime, celebrity, etc." When that enthusiasm wanes, can we really say we're still fans? What is happening psychologically when we hang on to a devotion that gives us nothing in return? What makes a sports fan continue their devotion towards a particular team despite their consistent losses? What happens when we're caught wearing our Viking gear out in public after a terrible loss? Do we stand strong, and turn our noses up at the fair-weather-fans? Or do we hang our heads in shame- the shame that shouldn't be ours to bear- that should only be experienced by the team themselves?

After the game, I explained to a friend, "I thought I was the Viking's good luck charm, but I didn't work this time." Their response, "No good luck charm works for the Vikings." There you have it, folks. There ain't no gain in conjuring up another superstition to help the Vikings along- they just aren't a team that will use it.

Photo courtesy of: www.ximnet.com