Hey guys, welcome back! I’m going to go out of my usual  box this post because I haven’t been able to concentrate since the opening of the Winter games in Milan.

I mentioned in my previous post that. I’ve been a fan of the Winter Olympics since I was a kid. As much as I like the Summer games, I like the Winter ones so much more. They are action packed, sit on the edge of your seat, holy crap did that just happen kind of sports that get my blood pumping. I can’t stop watching. And because I’m up in the overnight hours, I see a lot of the competitions live before they head to prime time reruns.

 I’m watching so intently, that the screen in front of me, the one I’m supposed to be working on, is the one being neglected. I’ll read a sentence, watch three skiers go down the slalom run. I’ll read a paragraph, watch the snowboarders spin until I’m dizzy. I’ll scroll to the next page and then watch as a bobsled almost flips over and don’t even get me started on curling. (This is the first year I’ve watched a lot of it and I’ve actually yelled at the tv during matches.)

That being said, I’m not getting much done and my sleep schedule, that is already more than screwed up, is getting that much worse. I’ve been up until the afternoon and then finally sleep until much, much later only to start watching the games all over again. I’m afraid to miss anything so I’m trying not to drink a lot of liquids. (You get where I’m going with that, right?) My blood pressure is I’m sure going up, because I keep yelling at the announcers to shut up or the camera guys to stop with the up the nose close ups of an athlete that just crashed and burned.

I live near the NBC Sports HQ building where they are calling all the shots and it is taking every ounce of control not to walk over there to say, “please, enough of the drones!” But I digress…

As frustrating as some of it has been, I love to watch. I love to root for the underdogs and those from my home state of Connecticut. I love to see those who may be competing for their last Olympic Games pass along their knowledge to the next generation of athletes. I love that a lot of the skaters chose music from wayyyy before they were born and that many competing, pushed the boundaries of their sport just to see if they could do it.

 I love watching these competitors from different countries cheer for one another and trade pins or autographs with each other so that they have their own souvenirs. All making friends and showing the world what it means to be at these games.

I’ve been alive long enough to remember when women weren’t allowed to do a lot of these extreme sports and now to see them compete on the same hills, the same tracks, the same venues as the guys? Hell yeah I’m all for cheering them on! (Go Half Pipe!)

There’s been bumps and bruises, broken limbs (we love you Lindsay!) and tears from low scores and times that have kept them off the podiums. Horrible weather conditions and many MANY crashes. But no matter how they’ve done, no matter if they won a medal or not, these athletes can say that they made it to the Olympic Games and that is something no one can ever take away from them.

There’s only a few days left and while a part of me is happy about that so I can remember how to live again, I will miss it…a lot. I get excited to watch months in advance knowing that there is something fun coming up that will take away the dreariness of the dregs of Winter and make it fun. (The games also give me ideas for my next life to become a snowboarder or luge runner.)

There is so much inspiration that comes from the Olympics whether Winter, Summer or Special. The back stories of what it took to get them there and how some have survived both injuries and tragedies. To see little kids watch and get the spark inside of them that makes them realize that hey, maybe they can grow up and do it too! That is what these games are all about…oh and of course Snoop Dog because how could I forget him?

Yes I’m still reading, writing and editing and all of that but really, it has been nice to lose myself in the highs, the lows, the cheers and the battles faced across snow and ice. To see all their hard work come down to thousands of a second in some cases and to watch as for a little over two weeks, the world comes together for something good…something…peaceful.

And that is where I will leave you for today. Until next time…cheers!

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