Friday, July 27, 2012

Hungry for the Olympics

I connect a lot of events in my life with the Olympic Games so I'm always excited when the Opening Ceremonies take place. I think my love of the Olympics began as a child watching events like track and field unfold on television. My friends and I would take turns holding a stick to see how high we could jump, and then we'd race around the block and compare our times.
I really became an Olympic fan when Mr. Daisy Mae and I honeymooned in Los Angeles for the 1984 Olympics. We were fortunate to see Carl Lewis win gold in track and field, and we also watched soccer, diving, and those unbelievable marathoners.
Things really started to intertwine when I met our good friends the Terrells from Milford, Ohio. Their son Jim Terrell was an Olympic canoeist who competed in Seoul, Barcelona, and Atlanta. In the 1996 Olympic Games in Atlanta, we took our two young children to experience the thrill of victory and the agony of defeat as we watched Jim compete.
One of the special things about the Olympics is how the Games become a focal point for people all over the world. I know that our Swedish friends, with whom we watched the Opening Ceremonies together in 1984, will be watching. I also know that my American friend will watch in Germany, and my college friends will watch in Switzerland. My dad in Florida will tune in, and our friend in Idaho will, too. With each event and each subplot that unfolds, we'll share the fun of the Olympics.
Grab some (healthy) snacks, settle in, and join me because I'm hungry for the Olympics. Let the Games begin!