The Importance of Something (Seemingly) Meaningless

There are moments that appear to observers as just ordinary, even meaningless. To those that experience the moment, they can be defining.

I took a casual bike ride last Sunday. Rain had plagued the area for most of the day, but by early evening it had moved out and given way to a very un-January-esque night. It was the perfect time to appreciate, well everything in life:

I forgot to bring my camera with me, but I think my phone does a pretty serviceable job conveying the moment. It was the "off week" between the Super Bowl and when the Eagles had won their conference championship. The slight breeze and mist in the air made the evening absolutely breathtaking. The atmosphere even smelled perfect, not to mention the beautiful, unifying sight of seeing all the city's buildings lit up in green:

The sights and sounds around this city last night after the Eagles won the Super Bowl were dramatically different, to say the least. They were anything but casual, but also equally unifying (at least from my vantage point). I'm sure you've seen the pictures and videos from around the webernets. I captured a few videos but only one picture, and the only one that really matters to me:

My extremely giddy face tells the entire story. I'd like to backtrack a bit, to attempt to bring this whole thing into perspective. About a year ago, I started dating this amazing woman that you see above, who unfortunately lives many miles away from Philly. She also has an equally amazing daughter, and her birthday was a few days ago.

About a month and a half ago, we'd made plans for me to visit them to celebrate a birthday, with an extended weekend culminating in watching the Super Bowl (by the way, she's a Steelers fan too). When we made these plans, our teams appeared to be on a collision course to meet in the big game. Watching it together at a neutral site seemed only fair.

Then some funny things happened. The Eagles lost their MVP quarterback and all of that seemed in jeopardy. The Steelers lost in the first round of the playoffs, confirming we (as a couple) could only potentially have one rooting interest in the Super Bowl.

Much to my (our) pleasant surprise, the Eagles defied all odds and made it to the grandest of stages in spite of all doubters. The party on Broad Street in South Philly after the NFC Championship game was absolutely electrifying. I now had a decision to make.

I didn't want to not be here for the Super Bowl. I also couldn't miss the kid's birthday. We talked. I decided I was going to change my game plan and attempt to do both, requiring a whole lot of driving within a span of about 48 hours. Everything was perfectly aligned. Perhaps I should emphasize how damn understanding and awesome she is.

And then she went one step further and said "WE can do both." She booked a one-way flight out of Philly for this evening and we decided to road trip from her house back here to Philly the night before the game. Apparently the allure of what went down here the previous week was not only too much for me to avoid, but also for her.

As you can see from the picture above, we did it, and those three words sum it all up. We're just fans when it comes down to it, but WE DID IT. Against all odds and all challenges, WE WON.

Being part of the moment with this wonderful person by my side the entire way made it all that much sweeter. Every low, every high, every cringe, every cheer, all of it. We didn't get to Philly until 4:30AM on Super Bowl Sunday, and yet I never felt tired throughout the entire day. Only this afternoon did the adrenaline finally start to wear off. And the picture up above is the defining moment, when everything in love and sports that I've been waiting for my whole life came to fruition. WE. FUCKING. DID. IT.

The Eagles winning the Super Bowl is meaningless to some. To me, it not only means a lot, but it also means just a little bit more.