My biggest lesson from Super Bowl Sunday

Voices chattered downstairs, the chink of glasses and hiss of opening soda cans filling the room. Mountains of food were arranged across the kitchen table, a kind of haphazard buffet that everyone had contributed to. Between my friends and family, we had about 15 people occupying our home.

It was almost time for the Super Bowl LVIII, a face-off between the Chiefs and the 49ers.

I have never had much interest in football. When I was younger, we would watch a handful of games with my grandparents, but other than that, I knew very little about the sport.

However, sitting on the couch with my friends made watching football miles more enjoyable. I glanced over to my left, tearing my eyes from the match on the screen to bask in the warmth I felt surrounded by my favorite people in the world.

It took me a few moments to realize that, although I have little mind for football, I cared about what happened because those around me did.

As they cheered and debated the calls and plays, I found myself much more invested in the game. We had a pretty even split — half rooting for the Chiefs, the other half for the 49ers. Honestly, without them, I would not have had any idea what was happening.

A mark of love is caring about things other people care about. It may have no particular importance to us, but it matters because it matters to them.

Sometimes, this means letting others pick a movie; eating the food they like; letting them DJ on car rides.

In the end, hearing our loved ones quote the whole film makes us smile and watching them do a happy dance when they have Indian food brings us more joy than if we had been eating our favorite Mexican dish. We listen to the genre of music they prefer in an effort to find a song that will brighten their days.

People may be inherently selfish, but I think these are the times when we are closer to who we are intended to be. It provides us with a feeling of delight that getting our own way could never give. We are fuller and more at peace than before, if only for a moment.

Intern Evelyn Vigil is a senior at Bigfork High School.