(Not Just For March) Madness
March Madness is one of my top five holidays. I was born and raised a March-Madness-enthusiast. During these weeks, the entire country comes together for college basketball. Last week, we got to watch five Catholics (Duquesne) and five Mormons (BYU) head to head on the floor. In any other premise, this would be complete absurdity or a very diverse YMCA. But last week it was just another first-round game. To make it even better, it’s normal to bet money on these 19-year-old communication majors and future history teachers. Which is also insanity during any other month. These are just a few of the reasons I love March. It teaches a lesson we should try to carry on every other month: You are never too old for madness!
Madness comes in all shapes and sizes, but March is its most palpable form. Every year, my family does an overcompetitive bracket challenge. Every year, I play hooky to watch games and yell too loudly at my TV. And if playing hooky isn’t an option, chances are I’m streaming the games during my responsibilities. Madness lets us overinvolve in surface-level things. Like the Tour-De-Frace parties my family used to throw and May Day baskets. (I don't know why we felt the need to celebrate the European sporting event.)
Some people fail to see the beauty of participating in madness. There is a reward for getting over-involved in what some would consider "trivial matters." The little, stupid things can bring us just as much enjoyment as the big things. I love becoming over-involved in trifling matters and I love bracket challenges. One of my favorite quotes is the following: The best portion of a good man's life is his little, nameless, unremembered acts of kindness and of love. Thanks for this one, Walt Woodman. But if he had written this quote in March, it would have gone something more like this: The best portion of a good man's life; His little, nameless, unremembered participation in madness, like that of March.
We are never too smart, too cool, or too sexy to participate in little, stupid, frivolous matters and madness. Plus my grandma pays us money for each game we get correct in our family bracket challenge, and I need the beer money.
