After The Big Game

I woke up this morning. I went into the kitchen and cleaned up from the fondue party we had the night before. I had to scrub some of the cheese out of the pot. There were a lot of plates and glasses that needed to be put away. I was pretty tired from staying up late watching Marx Brothers movies and bad lip-syncing to pop songs I could not identify. I knew that I had a day full of watching college bowl games and truck commercials.
I went out to the front yard and, with the help of my younger brother, we took the Christmas lights down from the trees and off the fence and the front porch. We stuffed the inflatable snowman back into its box for another eleven months. The holidays were coming to a close as 2007 began.
In the back of my mind there was a vague sense of ennui. It was probably linked to the loss of my favorite team the night before. I was finding ways to rationalize the defeat by figuring that the Denver Broncos probably don't belong in the playoffs if they're going to play the way they were playing yesterday. I've lived through winters like this before. The difference was in years past I didn't have the death of one of their players in addition to the end of the season.
Broncos cornerback Darrent Williams was killed early Monday when his white stretch Hummer was sprayed by bullets after a nightclub dispute following a New Year's Eve party. Darrent didn't get up late this morning. He didn't take down the Christmas lights or clean up the dishes. The holidays are over for him and his family. Football seems pretty insignificant, all of a sudden.
And I felt lucky. Happy to spend the day with my friends and family. I am looking forward to whatever 2007 holds for me and those close to me.