For the last two weeks, the Olympic Games have been on in our house in the evenings as we cheer on our favorites in gymnastics, track and field, and swimming. Each one has sparked the boys’ imaginations and my level of anxiety as they launch themselves off the arms of our sofa in attempts to do “backflips” or jump into the pool over and over, calling out their dives, contorting themselves mid-air.
“Giraffe dive!” “Submarine dive!” “Windmill dive!” Followed by the predictable, “Did you see it? Did you watch me?” I give a 9.5 for creativity.
I’ll admit, I too was inspired watching Katie Ledecky swim meters ahead of her opponents. I’ve always loved swimming and decided to take it to the next level and incorporate lap swim into my workouts. Of course, that meant upgrading my goggles to something a little more Olympic.
The boys have been working on their swimming all summer and while I’ve noticed a lot of progress, nothing seemed to jumpstart such a leap as watching the best in the world compete. Even my four-year-old jumped into the pool at the start of their “freestyle race” and actually pulled off an impressive freestyle!
There’s something about the Olympics that brings a little bit of magic. The closing ceremony today will be bittersweet and this year has certainly been different. But, it always makes the world feel a little smaller; humanity a little closer, and dreams feel just within reach.
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