a beautiful tradition

on some game days, i get the urge to poke around outside ohio stadium...i think it's the eclectic cast of characters, the distinct aroma of fall and the mesmerizing roar of the crowd that carries me, like a curious child, down lane avenue and into the sea of scarlet and grey. today was a bit different in that i carried with me a box of 1960s-style pinback buttons to hand out both to customers and others who would appreciate the gesture. toward the end of the game, i happened upon an older couple perhaps in their 60s or 70s. because the wife already had a few buttons pinned to her ohio state t-shirt, i figured i'd suprise her with another one. after handing over the button, this wonderful couple couldn't figure out why a 25 year old would be distributing, free of charge, such an authentic-looking osu pinback. so i took the opportunity to try to detail homage to the couple...after a few moments, however, i could tell that my explaination wasn't the best. maybe it was the neon sunglasses and striped jean shorts that failed to inspire confidence; i'm not too sure. in a pinch, and not wanting to sound like a total goof, i took a step back to reveal my "archie" t-shirt, which i had put on earlier in the day.

a picture is worth a thousand words.

after seeing my t-shirt, the husband and wife both smiled, understanding immediately what i was trying to convey.

i have to be honest--it was such a perfect moment for me.

this past week, i resembled a chicken with its head cut off. i can't remember any day in particular as monday through friday was spent lifting boxes, dealing with production, ringing phones, stickering, tagging, counting, sorting, etc. a chicken with its head cut off for sure.

but all of the previous week's hustling was instantly worth it because my t-shirt had taken the two back to yesteryear. as my friend ron kaplan pointed out a few weeks back, seeing archie griffin's likeness on a t-shirt evokes such incredible memories of the "good 'ole days" for so many people. and i could tell via the couple's facial expressions that my t-shirt had done precisely that.

what a lot of people don't understand sometimes is that homage is about so much more than trying to make money or run a business. in the pursuit of a passion, i've discovered a way to fuse all of the wonderful things about ohio state football--victory, loss, comraderie, spirit & heritage--into a something as simple and universal as a t-shirt.

it didn't matter that the couple probably would never end up buying the garment. all that mattered was that i found myself with individuals 40+ years my senior relishing, for a fleeing moment, in one of the most beautiful traditions ever--saturday football in columbus.

i can't tell you how amazing this is for me.