Gratuitous Olympic post....

I LOVE the Olympics. I have no interest in sports, generally, but every two years (because I watch summer AND winter Olympics) I take complete control of the TV (not that anyone really gets control the rest of the time, but violence is promised if the channel is changed without permission during the Olympics). I enjoy watching the human beings of our world who commit themselves so fully to their passion. I love their stories. I love watching them at their absolute best (and sometimes worst). I cry when Canada takes a medal. I sobbed when Joannie Rochette skated only days after her Mother died, suddenly. I cried when I watched Silver Medalist Marianne St. Gelais' reaction in the stands as her boyfriend Charles Hamelin raced his way to a gold medal in the 500m short track speed skating. I had tears in my eyes when Alexandre Bilodeau's brother Frédéric raised his fist in triumph when Alexandre's score flashed across the screen and won the first gold for Canada. My heart ached when, on the first day, Georgian luger Nodar Kumaritashvili died during a training run. There are so many more moments that I can't even list.... winning medals in long track speed skating, barely missing the quarter finals in the women's team pursuit, the loss of Canada to the USA in men's hockey and their fight back to the gold medal game in which Canada was fully redeemed with Sidney Crosby's sudden death goal in overtime (phew... that's quite the run-on sentence). The dominance of the women's hockey team and the men's curling team. Our best ever finish for men's cross country. Our medals at the Whistler sliding centre, at Cypress Mountain and more..... I love the fact that, for once... Canadians as a whole have stood up in front of the world and said in unison... WE ARE AWESOME!!! Canadians usually are much more reserved. We are proud of our country, but we are always understated in our outward displays of pride and patriotism. In a group of Canadians we might say that Canada is the best country in the world to live, but if there are other people from countries involved... well, we don't want to hurt anyone's feelings or make them feel bad or to seem antagonistic, so we say nothing at all. Several Canadian cities are constantly listed as being in the top 10 places in the world to live, but we are likely to say... "Thank you for the honour and sorry about that"....... than "You're Damn right!"....

But we should be proud... we DO live in one of the best countries (see... I still can't publicly say THE best... I'm bred to say ONE of the best) in the world...... Go Canada!