Every two years, my husband and I anticipate the Winter or Summer Olympics, our favorite being the Winter. There's just something about watching these athletes give everything they have to achieve their goal of excellence, to win a medal, to make their mark on their sport of choice.I realized we have watched these Olympics together for 26 years. We watched them when before the split into Summer and Winter events, before the fancy camera work we now have to show us more detail, and before these athletes' lives and stories became almost as important as their performance in the spotlight.
That's the part I find most interesting, the stories behind these athletes so fiercely committed to their sport and their goal. Stories of heartache, set-backs, unfortunate accidents, and trials. Stories of going without to keep pursuing their dream, of their families sacrificing to help them get there, stories of overcoming the odds and still moving forward even when everything told them to quit.
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My husband and and I had much the same conversation just tonight. It is very inspirational and encouraging. We connect and relate to them in ways we can't otherwise. I know I can't come near to accomplishing what any of these athletes can in any of their chosen fields. However, I understand what it feels like to have money problems like the one skating couple we heard about.
People laugh at our proxy marriage story, but it was hard to be apart those first few months, and I was worried about a complicated pregnancy and losing our son. Then I hear about the Chinese couple who choose to live apart and eat in the cafeteria in order to pursue their goals. I can't imagine the discipline and sacrifice they are willing to take.
I'm such a wimp. Facing the circumstances I do today, I cry foul and how unfair it is, since my husband has and is working so hard. I feel guilty for being more of a drain than a help because of my health problems... and I worry instead of trust. I just know one of these days I'll learn the lesson.
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