As the Olympics wrap up tonight, we can all forget for a couple of years our new found expertise on the finer points of gymnastic scoring, swimming strokes, and baton handoffs.
But what will stay with our children who watched? This Olympics, they saw a diverse group of amazing athletes who displayed great sportsmanship.
This afternoon, I was going to the track for my own run. My youngest asked to go with me. He’s really too young but I figured I’d let him come. The track would be empty. I really thought he’d be bored in 5 minutes and I’d be dropping him back home. You don’t have to be a child psychologist to figure out this request follows a week of watching the athletics on TV.
But he did run. A good few laps. Delighted with himself at one point as he pretended to take a baton off of me for his “relay”. Happily settled on the sidelines for a few laps to watch me.
Him: “Can you go do the next Olympics?”
Me: “No, buddy, I think I’m too old.”
Him: “Can I go do the next Olympics?”
Me: “Maybe not the next ones – but after that, anything is possible.”
What should the rest of us – those too old or not athletically inclined – for Olympic dreams take from this 2 weeks? So much, but as a doc, I’d suggest this to my patients: the Olympics are a great time to remember that there is more to moving than going to a gym to “burn calories” or doing walks for “getting steps in”. There is a world of movement — climbing, cycling, jumping, breakdancing, canoeing — and we should all find one that suits our abilities, brings us joy, reduces our stress, makes us feel strong.
0 Comments