Yesterday was a big day for a host of people, and I don't mean in the same way as my earlier post might suggest. How many of you were aware that yesterday was the Gold Medal game for the Paralympic Sled-Hockey Games? How many of you knew that there were Paralympic Games in general going on, and that they took place in Socchi just as the Olympics did? Or that this is not a new thing going on -- the Paralympics?
Well, I'm one of the people who, up til yesterday afternoon, never really knew they existed, or paid them any mind until I actually sat down to watch the second half of the third period of the Gold Medal game featuring USA and Russia. I've heard of the Special Olympics, and have attended a Special Olympics event at Saginaw Valley State University back in 2009, or something like that.
I couldn't believe what I was watching, to be honest, and not at all in a "this is ridiculous" sort of way, by any means, either. I thought it was a little ridiculous that I had never knew about it or paid attention to it before. And I didn't know if I should be angry at the media for not covering it or angry at myself for trying to think I should be told everything and not finding it out on my own. I couldn't believe that it took an "I just happened to notice a Facebook post that the game was going to be on NBC" moment for me to notice.
Then, while watching these players rely solely on their upper body strength and fierce mentality to overcome obstacles and compete for a prestigious gold medal, I only wished I had paid attention sooner. I wished I had been watching the complete Paralympic Games. I wondered if they were made available to me had I wanted to or knew they were going on. Watching that game reminded me of watching the Canada v. Sweden Gold Medal games just weeks prior. The disappointment the Swedes had when they came in second seemed to outweigh their overall appreciation to be where they were. To watch Finland beat the US the day before and to see the pride in winning the Bronze Medal. And the intoxication of the Canadians as they joyously belted out "Oh, Canada" during the medal ceremony. None of that seemed to shine at all in comparison to the smiles on the faces of the Russians as they claimed the Silver medal in front of their home crowd yesterday during the Paralympic games.
And it's just amazing, awesome, and inspiring to see how much drive these men had given the obstacles they had to overcome in life aside from their Olympic spirit. And they were so young! Sometimes I think we forget about the spirit of the game and focus on the result...the medal.... and we forget that even making the list counts for something. And furthermore, these games make me realize how much in life we overlook. How much we take for granted. And I work with special needs adults who have so much to give and I learn so much from them and don't even see them as disabled, but I still take things for granted. It's so easy to complain about any little thing. And everybody has a rough patch in life and should be given the release of complaining every so often, but there are so many people in the world that have a reason to complain but still find the thing to keep them going.
It's a slippery slope, this place I've put myself now, and I'm pointing it out only to teach myself a lesson in the long run, I guess. But I feel like there should be less categorizing going on, too. For me, it should be more about embracing similarities than labeling differences. [i don't know why, but right now I am fighting a "delete all" gut feeling and trying to fight through it....I hope I'm not coming off poorly at this point. I sure hope I have a point too!]
Anyways, I would just like to put out a congratulatory post to the Men's Sled Hockey medalists from the United States, Russia, and Canada. I feel guilty to have only seen eight minutes of this entire Paralympic Games but I feel educated now with their existence and I hope that I have let somebody else in on what is hopefully not the Olympics' best kept secret. Congratulations to all Olympians! [I say this like an Olympian is going to read this. But you never know, right?]
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