I sparkly giant heart the Olympics!

I start choking up when they play the “Go World” commercials months beforehand.

By the time they are awarding medals I am a blubbering basket case.  I love good competition, but there is something so special about the world coming together to learn about and understand each other, to share good will and good sportsmanship, that gets me right in the gut.

AND IT”S IN VANCOUVER!  I Shiny-sparkling-beating-glowing heart Vancouver.  My mother grew up on Grouse Mountain and most of her family still lives in the area, so it’s a familiar place to me.  If you’ve never been, you’ve got to go someday.  It’s incredible.  There is no shortage of fabulous things to do and see, terrific places to go and amazing historic and natural wonders.  Plus, the beach, the ocean, the forest…all together.

The opening ceremonies were terrific – full of symbolism that spoke so truthfully about Canadians and their open, accepting, inclusive culture.  The boy who did the “prairie” segment?  Can you say a star is born?  The 16-year-old jazz singer who gave a great rendition of the national anthem in her red dress?  Jaw dropping!  The virtual Orca Whales swimming across the imaginary ocean?  My kids almost came out of their seats!

My personal fave was the slam poet.  He rocked my phoenetic world, made me swell up with pride and recognition of my Canadian neighbors and kin.

K.D. Lang?  Singing that really sad song by the famous Canadian song writer?  I know….what the heck?!  That was the strangest experience…The song, though beautiful on it’s own and flawlessly performed, was completely incongruous with the feeling I was having before that point, and was expecting to feel afterwards.  I kept waiting for it to resolve – to somehow wrench its way into anything that I could connect in any way to the opening ceremony of the olympics, or competing in general even, or family, or coming together, or well, I was lost by then and just waiting for it to be over so we could get back to the reason I was watching  in the first place.

Oh yeah – THE OLYMPICS!

So school is completed at it’s usual time at our house and afternoon activities are suspended for the next two weeks.  Mommy will also be staying up late and reading only very short bedtime stories because I am not missing prime time!  So ask your  brother if you want something longer than “Dora says Goodnight!”