Thankfully, the Winter Olympics have come at a great time to give Americans something we can all celebrate together. Whoa, this is much needed.
Isn’t it fabulous to watch? The artistry of the figure skating. The speed of the racers. The jumps, the bumps. The winners, the losers. Broken dreams, broken hearts, broken bones. It has everything.
I heard a commentator at the games say that most people run in the opposite direction when they see snow. These athletes joyously run to the snow and the bad weather that goes with training in it.
Where do they get the mental and physical stamina to keep training month after month to compete in races that are won by 100ths of a second? If you watch the human interest stories they feature in between events, you gain so much respect for their commitment, their focus, for what they give up.
Just to be a competitor at the Olympics is to be a success. To medal is even more impressive. How much drive they must have to win! To cross the finish line first. To jump the highest, to get the most points. Most of us don‘t compete like that in life. We are not elite athletes. We may not be elite at anything. When it gets that tough, when the pain and misery are so high, we reevaluate.
Watching takes our minds off of all the day-to-day issues of life and the scary stuff happening in many of the countries these athletes represent. It also showcases what humans from all over the world can achieve. Even those who don’t win are remarkable. They inspire us to set and compete for higher goals.
May it also encourage us to stand a little taller and stretch a little further.
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