One World, One Dream

I can’t believe the Olympics is coming to an end. I also can’t believe that Microsoft Word just auto-corrected “Olympics” to have a capital – O. The thought of spending 4 years without Team Handball is a complete bummer. Watching sports has always been inspiring to me. Spending 5 hours indoors watching the Tour de France riders leg out 100 miles through the Alps has always made me go out and go for a ride. Sure that giant hill I’d climb a few miles away isn’t the Alp D’Huez, but mentally it was.

I’ve never been that good of a swimmer. I grew up surfing the beaches in Jersey where you could always stand if needed. Getting around in the ocean without a board leashed to my ankle always meant walking in the sand against the current. Don’t get me wrong, I can “not drown” but I wouldn’t say my freestyle is anything close to graceful. That said, in what you might call a subconsciously Phelps-inspired move, I joined a swim program at my gym. Basically, it rewards you for little accomplishments you make in swimming the lap pool.

It starts off with some easy tasks. 100m, or 4 laps. Gradually working its way up. The equivalent of the English Channel, ending with 100 miles. Of course, these all aren’t going to be done in one sitting. I’ll do a few laps, go home, come back the next day and do some more. Each level is awarded with a patch which shows your accomplishment. If I could sew, maybe this would end up on something, but I have a feeling it’ll end up in a drawer somewhere.

Once again though, it’s a little bit of life imitating Runescape, or vice versa. The first few levels will be easy, and maybe I’ll even get a couple in a day. The end, however, will take days and dedication to get to the next level. Maybe I’ll sputter out in the middle somewhere and get distracted by another skill, or maybe I’ll keep with it to achieve my goal of completing them all. The reward is minor, fireworks above the head, maybe a sparkler lit in the backyard. A patch that shows what you’ve accomplished or a cape to cover the shoulders. Either way, regardless of how minor the actual reward, the sense of pride is really what we work towards. You don’t necessarily need a patch or cape to prove to yourself what you’ve done. So like all those amazing athletes we gather every 4 (or 2) years to watch, just stick to what you set. Proving something to yourself is almost better than proving it to others.