Hawk fever and a gift from a stranger
Football has never been an important part of my life. No one I was close to ever played and I do not have the patience to sit in front of the television for hours on end. Frankly, the idea of grown men tackling each other kind of creeps me out. But when the Seahawks continued to play well and eventually made it to the Super Bowl Seattle came down with a serious case of Hawk fever. It all started with the 12th man, the notion that the enthusiasm and noise of the fans have a direct effect on the ability of Seahawks to win. New terms were coined like Hawkitecture, 12th man signs were put up all over the city, there was a run on Skittles and people around town seemingly appeared happier.
In all this excitement, it is important to note that although I do not consider myself a Seahawks fan, I am a fan of celebration and happiness. Too often we are caught up in the drudgery of everyday life. We fill our lives with appointments and endless to do lists. So if on one freezing cold afternoon Seattlelites took the streets to cheer, scream, stand on rooftops and eat Skittles…. I figured what the heck I would join in on the fun.
As I made my way along the parade route I noticed several people had brought six foot ladders to stand on in hopes of catching a glimpse of their favorite players. People were lined up across the rooftops of taller buildings like snipers. I found the crowd to be a bit drunk, very excitable, but overall tolerable. I was content to watch the parade from Pioneer Square until a fight broke out next to me and I decided it was time to move on.
As I made my way away from the drama a random stranger stopped me and handed me a Seahawks hat. He mentioned something about me looking like I needed some festive gear. Wearing my newly acquired Seahawks hat I walked down the street to the stadium where I saw the coach, the trophy and the players ride past.
The staggering number of Seattle fans who took the day off from work, played hooky from other obligations and brought their families to stand in the bitter cold day proved how important a sense of community is to people. Over the years, I have found a sense of community through coworkers, my church congregation, friends and sometimes neighbors. I like to think the parade was more about our desire for community than our need for football. And with that I say Go Seahwaks!
Unfortunately, the last four images were snapped with my iPhone. My biggest regret was not having my camera on me to capture all the craziness.
