Olympic Journeys

Last night was the opening ceremonies for the 2012 London Summer Olympics. It was a wonderful and creative look at the British Isles. A very musical and reflective view which caught the world's attention. Today, Saturday, July 28, 2012 comments are flying all over the Internet about it and about events being performed by the athletes. The sad part about some of the comments are how they degrade and ridicule the opening ceremonies. Why must people constantly put down? Or is it as one Brit thought and I am paraphrasing, "the Yanks aren't intellectual enough for our thoughts ". Maybe he is So what does this have to do with Olympic Journeys? An Olympic journey begins with wonder and creativity. How many families have shouldered financial, emotional, and/or other burdens in order to help a member achieve the dream of participating in the Olympics. It is a journey formed from hopes, dreams, and sacrifice. That's right, sacrifice. The athlete sacrifices time and events in order to practice and participate in competition. They work hard at doing what for most of us is impossible, they work to be perfect. They do this even though we the audience critique them harshly quite often. Even though we are unable to do what they do. The Olympians shoulder all this harshness and all the complements of which they must decide are real or fake. Yet, they are our hero's/heroines for they reach heights in athletic competition must of us only dream of. Thank you to all the Olympians of all countries and whether you win or not. Your Olympic journey provides the rest of us with the hope and knowledge that we too can create our own journeys beginning with wonder, creativity, sacrifice, and as Johnny Horton just told his teammates on the US men's gymnastic team; "stay humble ". The opening ceremonies was that. All of it, including being humble. Time to stop ridiculing. And begin being humble.