Completely obsessed

If I could realistically put everything in my life on hold and camp out in front of the t.v. for two weeks I would. Seriously. That is how into the Olympics I am.
I have always loved the Olympic Games. I remember being a little girl and watching with my mom. We would cheer for our athletes. We would do our own judging of outfits and uniforms. We would get so into it that it seemed we were a part of it in some obscure, removed way. And I guess we were. I guess we still are. After each event I would dream of competing myself. I would jump on my mom's bed, choreographing my own gold medal floor routine. I would go outside, put a stick on the ground and run as fast as I could to a predetermined finish line. I would stand on a box and pretend to cry to my national anthem with my little league softball medal around my neck and a bouquet of wild flowers and weeds. I dreamed of being that good at something. To be considered the best in the entire world. To prove it on not only a national scale, but an international one.
Now, as a mom, I watch Natalie gasp at the gymnasts flinging their perfectly toned bodies this way and that. I watch as she is mesmerized by the synchronized divers flipping perfectly together and going into the water without a splash. I explain to her the objectives in beach volleyball and why they jump so high and hit so hard. And then as I watch her do somersaults across the living room floor I no longer dream the Olympic dream for myself. I now dream it for my girls. My fantasies now have me cheering in the stands, watching my baby have a medal slipped around her neck. Her being the best.
The Olympics are about so much more than winning though. They are about representing your country. They are about competition and being a good sport. They are about congratulating even the last place finisher for even making it this far. They are about watching an injured athlete hobble to the finish line or land a difficult move. They are about bringing a sport that doesn't get a lot of coverage to the forefront, if only for a few minutes. They are about dreaming the impossible and the hard work that it takes to make those dreams come true.
So, until the closing ceremonies put a finish to the games for another four years, I will be watching. I will watch them swim and flip and run and jump and jab and shoot and hit and play for the top spot. I will watch them cry with happiness and disappointment. I will watch people become the pride of their country...win or lose. And I will love every minute of it.