Champions Abound

The Olympic Games give us a couple magical weeks to find new heroes, reclaim old ones, and to relive the excitement of times when we were involved in something bigger than ourselves. It’s like being on vacation as a kid and jumping out of bed the moment you woke up because something big was going on and you didn’t want to miss any of it.

When I was a kid, there were a few years when we went to the beach for a week in the summer, and out-of-state family and friends would meet us there so that we had nearly a dozen of us all together. These were days when it was so much fun to be a kid.

We were living outside of our ordinary routine, and living life to the fullest, which made us feel like we were the exception to every rule. We had extra energy, a spring in our step, and we could see all of the opportunities unfolding around us. The world revolved for us. Even the air was different, fragrant and filled with electricity. You know those moments—the ones where you catch your reflection in a mirror or a window and it dawns on you that you’re excited for the person looking back at you. (One summer during college I even lived at the beach when the Olympics were on. It was like having your cake and eating it, too.)

But back to kid vacation: We could hit the beach with one crowd of family/friends and spend the morning playing in the waves, digging holes, and building impressive sandcastles. By afternoon, we could catch a matinee or play mini golf with a different combination of people (upon whom we would give our best pitch for stopping at Krispy Kreme for fresh donuts) before returning for a big group dinner all together. No matter how tired we felt after dinner, we’d fight to stay awake as the adults entertained everyone with funny stories. If we thought Kid Time was amazing, the after-dinner talk made us look forward to growing up and having great stories of our own to tell.

The thing of it all is this: We can be those champions we always knew we could be. We don’t need to wait for the Olympics or for a vacation to know that opportunities are waiting for us. We can meet our days with enthusiasm. And if we catch our reflection, we just might see that glimmer again.

I, for one, am excited for us. Let’s get to it.