As the world's eyes turn towards London for the Olympics, the memories flow freely. I was just a little bit older than Alexis is now during the 1984 Olympics, so I remember. I remember what it's like to look on in awe as the impossible turns into the possible right before your eyes.
I haven't quite caught Olympic fever this year, in no small part because NBC is doing everything under the sun to ruin the experience. I don't honestly mind the delays in airing events as much as I mind the conflict between television delays and how they are handling social media. It hurts my head to see tweets from NBC announcing winners and then hours later we hear TV announcers who do what they can to make it seem like the event is being shown live. And don't get me started on how bad the announcers themselves have been...
Alexis, however, is oblivious to it all. She doesn't understand live versus pre-recorded, so to her the events are full of suspense and nerves. She gasps as a gymnast falls. She cheers as cyclist kicks into overdrive. She celebrates as Team USA wins a medal. It's all wonderful and amazing and magical in her eyes.
And it's all very do-able.
While adults all around the world say things like, "I could have done that," kids say, "I could do that." The difference is that the kids are right. Maybe they don't have the natural skill to perform at an Olympic level, but what's to stop Alexis from learning to do a flip on the balance beam?
Nothing.
The dreams are real and the goals are achievable, if only practice and luck come together in harmony.
And that's exactly why I've watched and cheered as the kid has been "practicing" pommel horse for most of the night.
Shhhhhhhh!
