Monday Morning Musing: Winter Olympics, Athletes, Galaxy Quest

Are you watching the Olympics? As I wrote on Friday, I like the Winter Olympics better than the Summer ones. I grew up in Michigan, a cold weather state. Not as cold as North Dakota or Minnesota. Still, we get our share of below zero temps, as well as snow. Lots of snow.

Last night, we watched the women's moguls. Holy cow! The bouncing and jolts to the knees and hips made me wonder how soon the women would need knee and/or hip replacements. Am I the only one who thinks those thoughts?

I remember hearing that Mary Lou Retton, the Olympic gymnast from the 1980s, had a hip replacement at 35. What pain she must have been in to undergo surgery like that. In researching for this post, I discovered she was born with hip dysplasia, a condition that was aggravated by gymnastics. 

My thoughts went to other athletes who've had to undergo surgeries to repair the results of accidents or wear-and-tear on joints, tendons, etc. Then, they return to the sport. Why would they put themselves through that?

On Mary Lou's website, the first thing you read is a quote: "Each of us has a fire in our hearts for something. It's our goal in life to find it and keep it."

It makes a lot of sense then that once someone has found their goal they keep driving themselves to attain it. 

Last Wednesday, I shared a book I'd read by C. Lee McKenzie, Shattered. It's about a skier who'd qualified for the Olympics, only to have her spine crushed in a freak accident on the slopes. She was never able to walk again. Not only did she lose her spot on the Olympic team,  she lost her purpose in life. Amazingly, she found a different way to ski. She had to get back on the slopes.

I've never discovered a goal I wanted so badly I would do anything to achieve it. Getting a book published is pretty close. I've been at this for almost 30 years. I've been discouraged, supported, and elated many times over. And I keep at it. So, maybe I have found a goal worth working hard for. But, once I sold my first book to a publisher, even though I'd achieved my goal, I kept doing it again. A new story, more disappointment (my publisher suggested that my heroine should be pushed out an airlock--guess she didn't like her), more efforts, more stories.

Remember the movie Galaxy Quest? "Never give up, never surrender." That's what athletes do all the time. That's what we all do for something we really want.

My Favorite: Winter Sport

As I write this post, I'm watching the Opening Ceremonies of the Winter Olympics. I love the winter games, much more than the ones in summer. The athletes bring so much excitement, talent, and enthusiasm to the audience.

I enjoy watching most of the events. My favorite is figure skating. When I was a kid, my mom would flood a low spot in our backyard (sometimes in the front) so my sister and I could ice skate. We lived on acreage so we had a big yard. It didn't take long for the ice to form since the low spot wasn't very deep. 

My sister was always better at it than I was. Like my heroine in the Alex O'Hara mysteries, I'm a klutz. When God was handing out coordination, He skipped me. 😀 Definitely a lack of balance. Still, I had fun skating around our makeshift rink. My sister would skate on one foot and do spins. While I spent a lot of time on my rear.

As I watch figure skating on television, I admire their poise as the athletes fly into the air and land so easily on one foot. The dancers bring an extra dimension to the ice. A fluidity. The pairs skating shows the tremendous strength of the men as they throw their partner in the air, and the trust the women have that he will catch her.

I'll watch the games over the next couple of weeks and remember the fun my sister and I had.