Football, Fall, Friendships and my favorite things
November 3, 2011 Uncategorized
I love this time of year! That first day when the air is so crisp and it’s time for football and you pull out your favorite sweater. It always gets me excited.
At the University of Alabama, game day was a special event. When you woke up you could smell the bourbon in the air. That smell and the sound of Eli Gold get me shaking with excitement. I’m not a football fan, I’m an Alabama fan. I could care less about any other team or sport. My sole focus is watching Alabama win and my cheering for them helps spur them on to victory. It’s a tradition I take very seriously.
This year, Alabama is number 2 and this Saturday we’re playing an awesome rival, LSU. I love this rivalry because neither one of us do a lot of “Smack Talking” until the game is over and one of us wins. Then it’s a helluva good time for the victor. I cannot wait for this Saturday’s game. I only wish I could be in Tuscaloosa at Bryant-Denny Stadium with 100,000 people just as excited as I am.
Instead, I’m stuck in Texas. I’ll invite some friends over and they’ll be interested in the game for a little while until we run out of sausage balls.
If you want to hear the glory of Eli Gold just watch this clip
I also love other things about this time of year. Thanksgiving is getting close. My good friend that lives in NYC is coming down to spend a relaxing weekend with us cooking, drinking wine and just enjoying what makes friendships last…knowing each other and appreciating each other.
As I get older, I understand the value of things like home, family and friendships. I’ve lost a lot of friends as the years go by. I’m no longer the partier I once was, no longer the regular church-goer, no longer the political junkie, no longer the corporate drone, but I’m still the one that cherishes the relationships I do have. For those that have gone from my life I hope they have the same contentment with life and friends that I know I have.
I have made many new friends and I always meet new people, but one of the great joys of my life is that I have friends I have been counting on and have been counting on me for decades. I recently reconnected with some friends I had during my early 20’s and seeing them again rekindled a deep and loving friendship. We cried and smiled and wondered how so much time had passed. It always amazes me at how fast it goes by!
Then, I think of the new friends I have made and the joy of getting to know them and the new things I learn from knowing them.
It’s in the Autumn that I feel truly blessed, truly rich and wrapped in the warm contentment of the life I’ve carved out for myself.
Roll Tide.
Comments (1)
DMw/P and I watched the game together on a trip to Tucson over the weekend. They have a tremendous day of the dead celebration called All Souls Procession each year that is incredibly moving. Now, DMw/P is an LSU fan - as is another one of my best friends from New Iberia, Louisiana. Suffice it to say, I’m happy for them that LSU won. But finally catching up on my RSS feed today and reading this post, I would have been equally happy for you if it had gone the other way. You’re good people. You get it.