Let the Games Begin

If you know me at all, you know that I don't have to have an excuse for putting off what I should be doing at any given moment. Cleaning, organizing year-end financial info, going through the boxes in the basement that haven't been opened since 1992; you name it, I'll find a way to avoid doing it. As you might imagine, this admission does not do much for my self-esteem but maybe I wouldn't feel as bad about owning up to this character flaw if I actually had a good reason for putting all those tasks on the back burner.

For the next two weeks, I do. I actually have a half-way decent excuse to leave those dishes in the sink; I actually do have a semi-acceptable reason to ignore the dust bunnies gathering on the baseboards; I actually can justify the fried chicken I hastily purchase on my way home from work rather than putting a home-cooked meal on the table. For the next two weeks, I have something more important to do.

I have to put on some comfy clothes, whip up some hot chocolate, and watch The Olympics.

For as long as I can remember, I have loved this once-every-four-years-now-every-two-year event. When I was younger, I slid around the kitchen floor pretending I was Janet Lynn. Later, I sat on the edge of my chair as a bunch of college students beat the Russian hockey team and cheered as Dan Jansen skated around the rink with his daughter after finally winning a gold medal. Now, I spend most of my viewing time saying things like, "How do they bend their knees like that?" or "That hurts just looking at it". After all this time, I've reluctantly made peace with the fact that I'll never be an Olympian but would it be too much to ask to be able to do a squat without pain?)

I'm as nationalistic as the next guy but, for me, The Olympics isn't just about flag-waving patriotism. It's about effort; it's about determination. I'm in awe of anyone, no matter what language they speak, who works as long and hard to achieve a goal as Olympic athletes do. (And let's not forget those sacrificing parents who got them to the gym/mountain/ice rink at 6:00am - I'm not sure I could have done that either).  While it's fun to see U.S. athletes win a bunch of medals, it's hard not to get emotional when you see anyone (unless they're from one of those smug, arrogant countries that deserved to lose) fulfill a life-long dream.

So, okay, it's not the pure-spirited haven for amateur athletics that it was originally designed to be (don't the NHL and NBA players already have a venue to promote their talents?). Yes, it's dished out in manipulative ways by greedy TV networks and often tainted by corrupt judging. But you know what else it is? It's inspirational. And that's why I'll be watching.

Those dust bunnies can wait until February 24th.