Inspiration

I realize I should have posted about the Olympics *during* the Olympics, or at least BEFORE 3 days after the closing ceremonies, but ... I didn't. But they were on my mind last night and rather than getting up and blogging at midnight, I decided I'd do it this morning. Regardless of the controversy, the Olympics are an inspiring time. These athletes work their entire lives to get to this point. Some fulfill their dreams and win gold. Others don't. For some, a fraction of a second means the difference between victory and defeat. That must be devastating, but they handle it with grace and respect.

During this year's Olympics my inspiration was drawn from many sources. From the moment of the opening ceremonies I knew that I was going to pay attention to these Olympics. To see the WORLD come together during this 2 week event was special for me. To watch the different countries march in the parade of nations was so interesting - the different flags, the different ways in which they dressed, the way some countries were stoic while others were having a party. I loved it! But let's get to the true heart of the Olympics...the athletes.

Reese Hoffa. Reese is the Brother-in-Law of my childhood friend, so I felt a connection to him. He graduated from Lakesie High School, which is in our county, and his story is inspiring in and of itself, aside from his road to the Olympics. He is the reason I turned on the Olympics to begin with. His event is the shot put and while he did not win gold, he gave it his all and I enjoyed following his story. You should go to his page and read about him. www.reesehoffa.com I hope to meet him sometime, so Mona, work on that for me. :)



I was inspired by the women's beach volleyball team. Now, I know for a fact that Charles was also inspired by the women's beach volleyball team...but for different reasons. :) I just loved watching them. Okay, maybe that is the same reason. LOL But I loved watching them for their spirit, not for their clothes...or lack thereof. Misty May and Kerri Walsh, to me, were everything I love about the Olympics. They were fun, competitive, relentless on the playing field, down to earth, and just REAL. I watched them win gold and it was so exciting! I was with them, feeling their energy, waiting for their interview when, all of a sudden, I'm crying. From way out in left field tears start streaming down my face and I can't stop it. All I could think was, "I hope Charles doesn't come in here right now." LOL I just felt so stupid for crying over an Olympic win. And, really, it wasn't just the win. I was fine after the win. It was the interview. Those girls are just so inspiring and easy to love. They talked about wanting to start a family. See, it brings tears to my eyes just writing about them, and reading their blogs right now. I don't know what it is about them, but they have a way of getting into my heart. As I'm reading on Misty's blog right now, she's going to be on Dancing With The Stars this fall. I've never watched that show, but I will now.



Michael Phelps. What's not inspiring about him? He won EIGHT (8) Olympic gold medals! That is amazing. We watched all of his races and he's just unstoppable. He didn't make me cry, so he only gets 4 sentences. :)



And most importantly of all, I was inspired by my children's response to the Olympics. This was unexpected for me. I didn't expect the kids to watch the Olympics, but they did and they loved it. As we were planning out our fall activities, Chad tells me he wants to take fencing lessons. Of course I jumped on that idea and called about it. You have to be 10 years old here to take fencing. When asked how he knew about fencing...the Olympics. How awesome is that...that an 8year old child is inspired to take up a sport that he sees for the very first time just because he watched the Olympics. And Carter, he watched the swimmers and said he wants to be able to swim like that. They loved watching the "Summer Games" with me. Not only was it a special bonding time with Mommy before bed, but it exposed them to sports that are respected on a global level. That's how the Olympic spirit is passed from generation to generation. This is where dreams are formed.



But now the Olympics are over and we have to wait another 4 years...Summer Games 2012will be in London. If you're into Winter Olympics, look for them from Vancouver in 2010. Who knows what might inspire me then.