The Once and Future Dreamer

So much is amazing about the Olympics and I think that I appreciate them more and differently over time.

When I was young, watching the Olympics was about dreams - dreams that someday I too could be an Olympian. But the fulfillment of those sorts of dreams takes a combination of many factors that may include, for example, role models, natural ability, encouragement and work and, when it came to sports, I possessed none of those factors. Neither my mother nor father were athletic and, in fact, I can remember no athletic role models in my family. I certainly was not born with any athletic gifts (although somewhere around college, I developed some athletic ability that has brought me enjoyment throughout my life). The combination of the foregoing resulted in no significant encouragement to play sports although we were given opportunities such as Iddy Biddy Basketball at the Jewish Community Center where my playing time was in the negative numbers, an attempt at baseball where I played even less, and, of course, swimming and diving lessons - but no competition, tennis lessons, etc. (so, as I write, perhaps I realize that there was exposure to sports - so maybe that wasn't the issue). While some people can overcome these factors, I lacked two essentials - love of a sport and a work ethic to develop the skills. Still, as I watched the Winter and Summer Olympics every four years, I dreamed the dream - "someday, when I grow up, I will be an Olympian".

By the time I was in my late teens and early twenties, I certainly had moved from that dream (more accurately, that fantasy) to an appreciation for the athletes who had combined a serious work ethic with their natural talents and had progressed through the ranks to the pinnacles of their chosen sports. I no longer wanted to be them and, at some point, I no longer "mourned" the fact that I would not. Still, my focus was on their achievements - the pedestals upon which they stood (or were placed in my mind).

Now, as I watch the 2008 Summer Olympics, my focus is on many more aspects of the games.

The wonder of the sacrifices that people voluntarily and sometimes, involuntarily, make. What dedication!

The wonder of all of the people who worked just as hard and perhaps even harder than the winners, but were not victorious at the games or more likely never reached the level of the Olympic games.

The wonder of the various body types in different sports and within sports - the gymnasts, the swimmers, the divers, the basketball players and the list goes on.

The wonder of the multitude of ethnic groups and nationalities who somehow transcend the fighting over borders, religion, ideas, resources, differences and all of the other factors that create a world in which there is too little peace, too little carrying, to little acceptance and instead there are battles, wars, unnecessary death and preventable famine. At the Olympics, those negatives are but aside or at least channeled into the peaceful competition of sports.

The wonder of the potential for the human race.
The wonder of the challenges that confront us.
The wonder of the funds that are expended in the name of sport.
The wonder of it all.

So now, once again I am a dreamer
But no longer of an athletic career
Once again I am dreamer
Dreaming that a better world could be near.