The other night, our family began the night by watching the Orange Bowl together.  Our team, the University of Michigan Wolverines were playing the Florida State Seminoles.

The Paulsen Boys decked out in their Michigan gear and celebrating Michigan’s win of the coin toss…  the last thing that Michigan would win that evening.

By the end of halftime, my two youngest boys were tired and headed off to bed.  By the end of the Third Quarter, my lovely wife who was tired and fed up with Michigan’s inconsistent play, soon followed the others off to sleep.

That left just my 13-year-old son Jacob and me watching the conclusion of the game.  With each play, with each turn of events, I realized something.  The two of us were getting louder (thankfully we were in the basement) and having a great time.  It was a safety lock off type of moment, where we were just enjoying the moment.  Throwing a football around.  Whooping and hollering with each big play.

Then came Jacob’s pièce de résistance, his one man play showing San Francisco 49ers Quarterback Colin Kaepernick’s recent performance (note this had absolutely nothing to do with Kaepernick’s forms of political expression and was entirely about his lousy play of late).  Jacob would first demonstrate how Kaepernick used to play, by evading linemen and throwing a perfect pass.  Then Jacob would show Kaepernick’s current play, where he would mysteriously just fall to the ground, while fumbling the football.  Jacob’s mimickery was a thing of beauty and had me laughing so hard that I was crying.  One of those deep hemorrhaging laughs that are a pure expression of joy and something the you have no hope of containing.  Happiness flowing from within.

By the time that the game concluded with Michigan valiantly losing by a single point, the score really did not matter.  I had spent moments of pure joy with my son and that’s a victory in any league.