Olympics Withdrawal

No, I have not had to take more Xanax.

No, I have not forgotten to tell you what happened last week.

Thanks to all of you who emailed or called to check on me.

I’m FINE, really I’m okay.

I’m gathering pictures to tell the story later this week.

Meanwhile, I am experiencing Olympics withdrawal.

Unless you don’t own a television or live under a rock you know the Olympics are over.

I am a bit of an Olympics junkie. I love to keep the television on pretty much around the clock for the approximately two weeks they are on. Tivo made it a little easier this year.

I’m old enough to remember when Mark Spitz won his seven gold medals. Which I just read was 36 years ago. Seriously? That can’t be right…

When the Olympics were here in Atlanta in 1996 I knew I had to get tickets and go have a not-to-be-missed experience. Just getting the tickets in the mail was exciting!

My friend Luci flew up from Tampa so we could spend the whole day at track and field. We had a blast and it was a glorious day watching Michael Johnson and Dan O’Brien win gold medals.

I can’t ever remember not watching the Olympics on tv and last week was no exception. It’s one of the few times I found myself insisting that my darling children get in front of the television so they could watch history being made.

I’m always a little sad when they’re over. These athletes and their coaches have worked and trained so hard to achieve these lifetime dreams. When they get to step up on that podium and hear our National Anthem, it still chokes me up.

In spite of the politics and negativity, there were so many moments to celebrate and be proud of our country and how the U.S. athletes handled themselves.

Here are three of my favorite “my eyes welled up with pride” moments:

1) Watching Dara Torres, a 41-year old mother, swim and win the silver medal was simply amazing. I loved her answer to the reporter’s question after the race.

When asked what she would some day tell her 2 year-old daughter about her Olympic experience, she said:

“You don’t have to put an age limit on your dreams.”

What a role model for girls (and women) of all ages!

2) Watching the men’s volleyball team keep playing and playing and playing the games of their lives. Knowing that their drive to win was even bigger than the Olympic gold. Their victory was for their coach, Hugh McCutcheon and his family during a horrific tragedy and the team showed incredible devotion and love for their coach.

3) The team effort in the 4 by 100 relay which was pivotal in getting Michael Phelps his record-breaking 8 gold medals. Jason Lezak’s anchor finish was a beautiful history-making achievement that has already been played over and over!

Every time I see that race, I still get chills. As Michael Phelps embraced his teammates, I heard him say:

“I couldn’t have done it without you guys.”

If that’s not enough, in every interview he sings the praises of his mother. And he seems to truly love his sisters too. I bet his biggest fan club is comprised of mothers like me!

Okay, I’ll stop now but I’d love to hear what your favorite moments were. What made you proud to be an American? Leave a comment below and let’s continue celebrating the great things about the Olympics for at least one more day. 🙂

P.S. If you’re feeling really competitive, click over to iLashGirls & enter to win one of the cookbooks we’re giving away…woo-hoo!