Recount the days in which you were happy from head to toe.
You remember them.
Days in which you asked yourself, how can life get any better than this?
When I was a child, the only days in which I felt that type of joy was following a big Husker football or basketball win.
As an adult, I remember November 27, 1992. That was the day Cynthia accepted my marriage proposal.
July 10, 1993. The day we each said I do.
March 12, 1995. The day Kacey was born.
December 16, 1996. The day Christa was born.
January 23, 2022. The day I became a grandpa.
There was December of 2009 and December of 2012. On those days, the Alliance High School one-act play team, in which Kacey (2009 and 2012) and Christa (2012) were members, were crowned state champions.
September 20, 2014. The day that the Alliance High softball team, in which Christa was a member, broke a 42-game losing streak with an 8-7 victory over Chadron in North Platte. Driving back to Alliance, we enjoyed listening to the Nebraska football team’s 41-31 victory over the hated Miami Hurricanes in Lincoln.
I realize I live in Denver Broncos country.
However, I have been a lifelong fan of the Kansas City Chiefs.
Sunday’s 17-10 AFC championship victory over the Baltimore Ravens was added to my happy zone list.
Let me add January 19, 2020. This day of exuberance was when the Chiefs beat the Tennessee Titans, 35-24, to qualify for the Super Bowl for the first time in 50 years. The Chiefs then claimed the Lombardi Trophy with a 31-20 victory over San Francisco in Super Bowl LIV.
I became an Arrow Head on October 18, 1971, when the Chiefs battled the Pittsburgh Steelers during season two of Monday Night Football.
Quarterback Len Dawson had thrown two touchdown passes to Otis Taylor to give the Chiefs a 14-9 lead.
Then, it happened.
The Chiefs had the ball on the Steelers five-yard-line when Dawson connected with tight end Elmo Wright for a touchdown. Wright offered a creative end zone dance that had my father roaring with laughter.
This was entertainment piled on entertainment.
The 1971 season was an historic one.
On Christmas Day, in ancient KC Municipal Stadium, the Chiefs and Miami Dolphins played what is still the longest football game in NFL history.
After 82 minutes and 40 seconds (double overtime), the Dolphins kicked a field goal to win the game, 27-24, and advance to the AFC championship.
The 1971 season would be the last time the Chiefs would qualify for the playoffs until 1986.
The Chiefs would not win another playoff game until 1994.
The next postseason win wouldn’t arrive until 2016.
Then came Patrick Mahomes.
Between January 12, 2019, and January 28, 2024, the Chiefs have claimed victory in 14 of 17 postseason games, including two Super Bowls.
Maybe this helps explain why I am a happy Arrow Head.
Everything runs in cycles.
The NFL’s summit has a slippery slope, and the Chiefs will eventually wear skis instead of cleats.
No one knows that better than fans of the Denver Broncos.
I know your happiest days were January 25, 1998, January 31, 1999, and February 7, 2016.
Super Bowl victory days.
I’m certain that the Orange Crush will one day return to the happy zone.
But, for now, it belongs to we Arrow Heads.