Olympians and Olympians

The Summer Olympics now over and becoming a memory, I feel the need to express myself.  There are so many things that could be said about the money or politics of the games.  After some research, I learned that money issues are universal in all sports and that the games have had political issues since the beginning.  After some reflection, I realized that there are far more important things that I need to say.

As a Canadian, I am excited and proud that our team did extremely well in the various events winning a total of 27medals (as of August 10), a Canadian best of non boycotted Olympics.  Most of them won by the Ladies. As a woman I can only say "You Go Girls." But I want to say something to the non medal winners, Canadian and the rest of the world. 

There are far less post competition interviews for the the athletes that finish off the podium.  They probably won't have the city name a street after them.  Their welcome home will probably not include National Leaders.  In fact it may only be family that meet them at the airport for the ride home.  I want to change that, even it is just with this post. And change it for a lot of unsung heroes and heroines of the olympic challenges of life.

Canada sent a total of 338 competitors to Paris in 2024, including alternates.  Canada's total population is 39.9 million.  That means, if my calculations are correct,  that far less than 1% of Canadians can claim Olympian status this year.  The world wide population is approximately 8 billion.  The total number of competitors In Paris is 10 700.  My limited math knowledge tells me that means that fewer than 1 in a million can call themselves an Olympian in 2024. (Please correct me if I messed up.)

In my opinion that is something of which to be proud.  These are not just individuals that woke up one morning said I want to go to the olympics and 6 months later were representing their country on the world stage.  Olympians train for most of their lives for a games that last only two weeks. If you think about the Men's 100m dash, it's less than 10 seconds.  There are 1000s of hours of training.  They must overcome injuries.  They must put their education on hold.  They face financial challenges to make their Olympic dream come true.  The commitment that these athletes have is immeasurable.  Something I know, I would be unable to do, physically and emotionally.  These people are superheroes that don't have the honour of wearing a cape.  

Many of us may feel that we have nothing of which to be proud.  No one is giving out gold medals for getting up every morning and pushing through the day.  Some feel unappreciated by their bosses.  Our teenage children think we are the epitome of uncool and a complete embarrassment.  Don't they see the work we put in to keep them fed, clothed and in some cases in school.  All of us make sacrifices everyday for the ones we love. We put our personal goals aside so that others can have a chance to reach theirs.  This is more than medal worthy, it is statue worthy.  And all of us do this at some point in our lives. 

At some point in my life I woke up to the fact that I am a writer.  It took a while, and I had to be figuratively and, in a way, literally hit in the head to realize it.  So, I set a goal.  I wanted to write a novel.  I had to face naysayers; more than I expected and from people I thought would be in my corner. But I had a small group behind me.  I wrote when ever I could.  Much of the book was written in arenas while I waited for my son's hockey game or my daughters figure skating to start.  But more important than anything, I wrote a novel.  It has a beginning, a middle and an end.  With the priceless help of professional colleagues, it has been edited and polished and is  being sent out to agents and publishers. I have a slew of rejections letters to prove it.  I am committed.  Yes my original goal was just to write the novel.  But because of my cheerleaders, I have set new goals.  I am writing two  new novels, two picture books and am continuing to submit my completed manuscript.  This takes a long term commitment, just like those Olympians who may not see the podium.  

We are all just like those in one in a million. We work very hard at whatever is put in front of us. It may not seem monumental in the eyes of others, which means nothing.  When I was diagnosed with  MS, my first neurologist made a point of telling me how good I had it compared to some of his other patients.  I assume he was trying to teach me gratitude for not being confined to a wheelchair or many of the other restrictions people with MS may face.  At that time in my life (my 20s), all it did was invalidate my feelings of loss, fear and frustration.  My second neurologist had a much better bed side manner.  He let me know that though my symptoms were not the worse he had ever seen, it was the worse I had ever felt and that is what mattered.  Wow, it was ok to not feel ok.

I extrapolate this point to all of us.  Our challenges may not be on the world stage.  We don't get international press.  Nobody is going to build us a statue because we washed the dishes, folded the laundry, and helped our children with their homework.  There are not ceremonies for mowing the lawn, getting the children to their extracurriculars, and shovelling the snow from the driveway.  Maybe there should be.  These are a monumental tasks for those who face them every day.  Those who are completing them, should think so.  Do not downplay your daily accomplishments.  I have been guilty of that myself.  I make a  "DONE"  list instead of a to do list.  It forces my brain to look differently at my day.  It is a concrete record of my accomplishments and triumphs whether the rest of the world sees them as such or not.

So what am trying to say?  I think it is okay to look at others as heroes and heroines.  It may even be necessary for motivation to move forward.  But let's not forget the heroes and heroines we are.  And WE ARE.  We don't wear capes.  We don't have a logo blazing across our chest. We are not given medals and there is not standing on a podium.  But we do have superpowers.  In our very being is a superpower.  Showing up everyday is a superpower.  You are a Superhero/ine.  Don't ever forget it.