Every four years we are treated to event after event highlighting the impossible. Greater, higher, faster, smoother and more dangerous –this is the stuff the Olympics are made of!

Thanks to the magic of marketing, we are learning a bit about the backstories of these who endure the ‘thrill of victory, and the agony of defeat.’ It’s not quick. It’s not easy. And very often the true unspoken heroes sit in the stands with knots in their bellies, praying for their little children who have worked so hard to get here.

Ron and I have had a taste of hard work, training for a marathon, and I for triathlons. But honestly, this wasn’t our first taste of ‘training for the seemingly impossible.’  When we lost our son Ryan, continuing on with a normal life for us, seemed as impossible as doing The Anamar Vault or Handspring front entry onto a four-inch beam. We knew surviving our loss required practice. And that’s what we did. Every day we got a little bit stronger, a little better.

We had help. We had encouragement from friends and family. I don’t know how you live life without it. And during that time we trained by them and helped with encouraging words and inspiration to ‘go on with their race.’

In Barcelona’s Summer Olympics, 1992, Derek Redmond tore his hamstring halfway through the semi-final 400 meter race. Redmond refused to give up and despite the horrible pain, kept limping toward the finish line. Nobody could believe what happened next: Derek’s father jumped over the railing from the stands to help his son finish the race.

A few yards from the finish line, his father let go so his son could finish the race by himself.

Though Derek didn’t win the race, he experienced the real thrill of victory which is found in giving and accepting help from others who have faced the impossible.

Have a great Olympic-viewing weekend!

Dawn

Some call them ‘suitcases’, some call them ‘totes’.  Some carry ‘baggage’.  Some are given superlatives: biggest, fullest, lightest, heaviest.  Others not so much.  But what you choose to pack inside, dictates the size, and often what condition you will be in when you ‘get to where you are going.’   Almost always you can tell from the face of the ‘carrier’ what is in their backpack.

America has recently endured some horrific incidents of murder.  Psychiatrists and those who have dealt with mental health issues try to explain away the reasons behind the anger . . . but nobody ever really knows.   Families – wives, children, mothers, fathers, sisters and brothers have been left asking ‘why?’.   The pain is something they will carry the rest of their lives.

Chief of Police, David Brown has led his officers through the recent Dallas ordeal with dignity and honor.  We don’t know what kind of ‘backpack’ he carries; but we do know he comes with some painful baggage.  In 1991, his younger brother Kevin was shot by drug dealers.  On Father’s Day 2010, in a PCP-induced state, his 27-year old son and namesake, shot and killed two men.  He was killed in an ensuing police shootout, a dreadful message to take to his father,  who had been Police Chief only seven weeks.

And yet during this slaughter of Policemen in Dallas, Texas, David Brown didn’t open his backpack to spread messages of anger and hatred for the murder; nor did he insight more riots and inflate the issue into one of race. He said:  “We are heartbroken.  All I know is this (divisiveness) must stop.”

Check your backpack:  more than the size or the appearance, check what’s inside.  Like us, millions of others suffer from unexplained circumstances and loss.  But if you find anger or hatred in your backpack, it’s time to look up the word: “jettison”.

Fill your backpack with hope and encouragement for those who will follow behind you.  And share this message with those you love.

Dawn

Blame marketing.  Blame peer pressure.  Blame technology.  But any time something is built out to be a ‘be all, end all” there will always be abuse.   Cigarettes became  the social situational stress reducer in the 40’s, 50’s, 60’s until the lung and cancer associations got involved.  Warning labels!  Then, the magic of pharmaceuticals.  More warning labels and laws!    And now Smartphones!

But we NEED our cellphones.  How else are we going to stay in contact, keep current, maximize wasted time, entertain, educate, photograph?     Many native American cultures believed that the soul could be endangered by photography.    Which begs the question:  Since smart phones can do so much more could they steal your soul?    “Of course not,”  you intellectuals shout.  Yet overuse can be highly intoxicating!

How do you fare on the above chart: “How did you feel when you misplaced your phone?”  But you can quit anytime.  Right? Check it out:  Next time you’re out in restaurant, take a visual survey:  how may folks are on their phones, texting, emailing and doing other ‘smart things?”

The boys brought their iPods on the trip, for use in their photo journalism class, and for use in picture taking.  But we reserved their electronic use for game playing on long travel days.   At one point, because it appeared to us that they were not communicating any better with each other before than during the trip, we confiscated their technology and we  introduced a new class called “The Hirn Crash-Course in Social Skill Development.”  First couple days were rough!  But before long, the boys began talking more, eye-locking, sharing ideas, observations, riddles, and  ‘most embarrassing moments.”  Creativity turned competitive!  Adventure isn’t complete without engagement.

Teach your children well.

Teach by example.

Now, take the test again.

See what I’m saying?

Talk soon!  Dawn