Of Superbowl Rings and Gratitude

I'm not much of a football fan. Oh, who am I kidding? I'm not a football fan at all. But last night, I got to hold a Superbowl ring in my own two hands and I must say, that was pretty cool.

I interviewed Jim Fahnhorst. He's a Minnesota boy who grew up to play for the San Francisco 49ers. He joined the team in 1984 and stayed there for the next seven years, taking part in three Superbowl wins along the way: 1984, 1988 and 1989.

After retiring from the game, he moved back to Minnesota with his wife and kids. It was my job to interview the clan for a local publication. After the interview and picture taking were done, the Fahnhorsts broke out some beers and invited the photographer and I to stick around for a bit. That's when I got the chance to slip on the ring.

As the circle swapped travel tales and stories of the good ol' days growing up Minnesotan, I toyed with the ring and the idea of asking the photographer to break out his camera and take a shot of it on my hand. But I didn't. I didn't want to disturb the flow of conversation and it was one of those moments I decided was better experienced and remembered than made obnoxious by the snapping of a flash.

Before the evening was through and the photographer and I were out the door, the wife had run downstairs and brought up two decorative ceramic bowls she'd painted herself. "Here," she said, "I want you each to take one. Happy holidays."

As I accepted the bowl, I felt a rush of appreciation and thanks. Lately, I've been kind of down-in-the-dumps about my job. I've written so many articles this year that I was starting to feel burned out. The interviews I've conducted recently have felt routine, not fun.

But last night I remembered why I ever wanted to be a freelance writer to begin with: I get to be impressed by people.

I get to meet total strangers, hear their life stories and come face to face with their openness, their kindness, their humanity. It's a reminder of something travel taught me: People are good and we are all, at heart, the same.