Olympic Issues

I am a little embarrassed to admit this but I have

Olympic Issues.

Not Olympic-sized issues,

although I probably have those too.

No, I have issues with the Olympic Games.


I am not a showy person.

I do not like to be in the limelight

or be the center of attention.

I am not ambitious nor competitive

and perhaps that's why I just don't understand

what motivates these athletes

to put themselves through

the whole Olympic experience.

Most of them don't even look like

they are enjoying themselves.

I just don't get it.

Yes, I understand the desire to do something to the best of your ability

(understand it but don't often achieve it).

And I guess if your best is also the World's best

then it is perhaps your responsibility

to be competing at the Olympic Games.

Unfortunately, there is only one

WORLD'S BEST

at any given moment in time

and if you happen to be a male swimmer

and your name is not Michael Phelps

and you aren't an American

then too bad -

this week you are not it.

I guess I put my focus in the wrong place.

While everyone else is watching

the amazing American Relay team

(and I will admit they were amazing)

jumping up and down and

talking smack about the French Swimmers.

I am watching the French swimmer in the pool,

head bowed,

pretending not to cry,

who just gave his Very, Very best

and it just wasn't good enough.


I have a hard time with losers.

I have a hard time with the concept of losing.

Especially when more than one

person (or team) is good.

In fact really, really good.

In fact, faster than World Record good

and deserves to win.

Yet they still lose.

I like to think that the athletes

who compete in the Olympics

and don't walk away with the Gold medal

are able to look at the Olympic experience

and see what they have gained

and not what they have lost.

But, I don't know if I could.

I don't know if I could spend 4 years of my life

(or a lot more for some of these athletes)

focusing on one specific goal

and then look at the bright side

when I reach out for that goal and

someone else's hand gets there

a split second before mine does.

I don't think I could stand in front

of a National TV audience

and respond positively and politely

to a silly news reporter

who asks even sillier questions.

Describe your emotions right now?

I don't think so!

I obviously just don't get it.

But wait,

I have more Olympic Issues.

Opening Ceremony Issues.

I watched most of the opening ceremonies

on Friday night

and they were amazing and impressive.

I was amazed at times and impressed at others.

They were spectacular!

The Olympic Opening Ceremonies

are suppose to be a spectacular show.

I think China put on a great show and

I enjoyed it

but...

The pictures on this website

show it all.

http://www.boston.com/bigpicture/2008/08/2008_olympics_opening_ceremony.html
even the parts we didn't see and

the place where the billions of dollars

might have been better spent.

The two events that stood out the most to me

during the opening ceremonies were

the young Chinese girl singing

"Ode to the Motherland"

as the group of children representing

all the cultures of China marched in and

the young boy who carried a Chinese flag,

next to Yao Ming,

who had saved two of his classmates

following the recent earthquakes

because he was a hall monitor

and a leader in his school.

Not the flashiest parts of the program,

but those that touched me the most.

I had more issues today

when I found out that the adorable little girl

who sang the song

really didn't sing.

The little girl who the voice belonged to

was deemed "not cute enough"

to represent China in front of the whole world.

Her name is Yang Peiyi.

She is 7 years old and

she has crooked teeth.

Maybe she is like me

and she doesn't like to be in the lime light

or be the center of attention,

and she was perfectly happy

not to stand on a pedestal

and sing in front of the whole world.

but I still have issues.



I will be eternally grateful

to a Heavenly Father

who set up the rules

for the "Game of Life"

that we are all participating in.

That He will never

single out one winner.

That He wants each and

every one of us to win.

That there are

enough "gold medals"

for every single person

who does his or her best

and deserves to win

regardless of whether they can swim or not

or if they have crooked teeth

or if they can sing or not

or if they are American, or French or Chinese

and even if they don't understand

why people would want to participate

in the Olympics.