OLYMPICS
I really don’t watch a lot of sports — some football in the winter, ice skating and hockey. But I LOVE to watch the Olympics. Especially the opening and closing ceremonies. This year I was prepared to watch the opening ceremonies. EXCEPT I was TIRED. I had only gotten 4 hours of sleep the night before and my body decided sleep was more important than television. I saw a few minutes when the ceremonies began. Children were leading the way. When I woke, the USA athletes were entering the arena. I saw a couple of countries then fell back to sleep. I missed the lighting of the flame. I have to admit that I wasn’t very happy that I had missed so much of the opening.
Strong winds delayed the skiing. I was able to watch the team ice skating, both days. I enjoyed it, I was able to stay awake. That has not continued. Because of coughing, I’m not getting enough rest. I watch the Olympics in our bedroom, upstairs. Lights off, under the covers. It doesn’t seem to matter if the lights are on and I’m on top of the blankets. I’ll still fall asleep.
What amazes me is that so far I have been awake to watch both the first and second gold medal won by the USA. The first was snow boarding, a 17 year new participant, one of seven children — all family members attending. He was so excited. It was a joy to watch. His first two runs hadn’t been exceptional but his third was unbelievable. And then the wait, will the last runs beat his score.
The second was also snow boarding. I’ll admit that I have no idea what the description of each jump (?) is. The announcer gets very excited. Has almost lost his voice. I slept through most of the runs for the second gold medal. I found myself awake in time to watch the final run.
Hopefully I will be awake for the ice skating. At least I understand the descriptions, even if I can’t tell one jump from another. I have enjoyed watching some of the cultural bits from the country. I was awake for the story of a group of aged women who dive for abalone from the bottom. The story goes that the men went to war and the women took over the diving. Sadly, I didn’t have my glasses on so I missed most of their ages and story.
It is also lovely to watch both the North and South Korean people competing as one nation. My prayer continues to be for world peace.
Wandering With Spirit 