Olympic Adversity

adversity. noun. 1, adversity. a stroke of ill fortune; a calamitous event

We all have adversities in our life. Some call it bad luck, others call it fate. But we learn to deal with it, regardless of how wrongly victimized we are. We learn to rise to the occasion, from the occasion.

This triumphant human spirit rejoices in the hearts and minds of all who were touched by the powerful and wrenching story of the Canadian figure skater, Joannie Rochette, whose mother passed away from a heart attack within hours of her arrival in Vancouver, a mere 2-3 days before Joannie would take to the Olympic ice for the 2010 Games.

Joannie maintained her third place ranking throughout her two skates, ultimately winning the Bronze Medal. Adversity fell in her lap, with the potential to cripple her, yet she somehow managed to stand, and stand tall she did, isolating her mental pain and anguish into bittersweet gratification. I can only imagine how deep and reflective she had to be, intentional or not, in order to pull those performances out of her.

Now, I'm not trying to over-dramatize. Although I used to be a huge figure skating fan at one point in my life (remember: Battle of the Brians, Kerrigan vs Harding, Midori Ito, the Jumping Bean?), I no longer follow the sport but an appreciation has remained for the hard work involved. But even then, my interest has waned. No, I'm way more interested in the human interest stories around these athletes, these Olympic athletes, specifically. They fascinate me with both their physical ability and their mental tenacity.

Take Slovenian cross-country skier Petra Majdic, who caught some ice and fell into a three-metre deep ravine while on a training run, broke four ribs (some reports say five), punctured a lung, and still managed to qualify, then make quarter-finals, then semi-finals and go on to win a Bronze medal.

How's that for conquering adversity?

So, now, I keep in mind: when kicked to the ground, there is always a way to get back on your feet again...you just need to dig deep within yourself to find out how.

I Believe.

Parallel Parking

Some people can't...really....take a look around.

Just the other day from my livingroom window, I watched a nice, black Mercedes SUV attempting to park between two cars. She had about a half-length behind and in front of her. I don't know if she pulled into the spot or actually parallelled, but she was still going at it five minutes later: I watched the clock.

Back and forth, back and forth. I actually found myself doing a play-by-play of her manoeuvres.

- Now go ahead...a little bit more.
- Turn that wheel, slowly..no, not THAT way, the OTHER way!
- Stop, stop, stop, you're gonna hit that car behind you....stop, already!

Then I watched her remove her "driving shoes" and put on a pair of knee-high high-heeled boots (ooh, what kind were those?....) and she got out of the car, pulled up the collar on her beige wool car coat, and with her Gucci purse strolled away to the stores that I live close by.

Sigh. I think there should be some kind of rule that you can only buy a car based on driving experience, not how much money you have.