As the 2010 Vancouver Olympic Games draw to a close, this is a wonderful time for each of us to think about the Olympic-type feats, races, games, practice rounds, and training sessions in our own lives. We may not achieve our goals while representing our native country in front of an international audience. And we may not wear a flashy outfit when we succeed at our own Olympic-style feats, but just as Olympians practice and prepare for their competitions, so do each of us in our own ways.
No matter who we are, where we work, what color hair we have, or whether we have easy access to Turkey Hill ice cream, each one of us has our own Olympic-size successes, discoveries, and learning opportunities every day. They happen when we’re at work, at home, on the road, at the grocery store, at the dog park, and while chewing bubble gum.
Perhaps your Olympic feat is carving out 30 minutes each day by yourself for quiet, prayer, and reflection. Someone else’s Olympic feat may involve gathering their family around the dinner table after an action-packed day. Other daily Olympic-style feats could include accepting a volunteer position that stretches you beyond your comfort zone and supports your church, the PTA, or a local civic organization. Your Olympic-size win could involve lassoing your monthly spending until it’s in line with a balanced household budget, de-junking your junk drawer, or creating a weekly meal plan so your kids never have to eat a lunchable again. Ever.
Sometimes you win the proverbial gold medal, come home with an award, or receive a compliment. Other days, there are no medals to be seen, no outward glories to be had. But, no matter what, every day we each have the opportunity to achieve our own Olympic-type feats. And we should celebrate these successes. Daily.
Throughout the past few weeks, the 2010 Winter Olympics have brought the concepts of genuine sportsmanship, winning and losing with grace, and true dedication, to the forefront of thought and the mass media broadcasts. As these games conclude, each one of us continues to have daily opportunities to run our individual races with grace, strength, determination, persistence, and dedication – buoyed by qualities such as love, kindness, joy, honesty, thoughtfulness, and sincerity. Wherever we are and in whatever we do, we can always express gratitude, care for others, order, and compassion.
Each one of us has our own feats, our own goals, and our own hopes whose flames will continue to burn long after the Olympic torch has been passed for the last time this winter. After the Olympics conclude, let’s continue to express the qualities of dedication, perseverance, gratitude, and hope that make this international athletic experience – and the Olympic-size events in our individual lives – so spectacular.