Every time I go into it saying it's something I just don't care about. But every time, one competition grabs my interest, and for whatever reason that happens to be women's gymnastics. Maybe it's because I had a 12 year old crush on Carly Patterson in Athens. Or because Nastia Liukin was not only stunning, but simply incredible in Beijing. Regardless, I'm partly proud and partly terrified that I have a passion for Women's Olympic Gymnastics, and this year was no different. Jordyn Wieber and Aly Raisman both stole my heart. And both of their hearts got broken.
It amazes me when people are so secure in what they're doing, and passionate enough to dedicate everything for one idea. For these girls, it was the prospect of winning All Around gold. For these girls, it didn't pan out. Jordyn and Aly spent 17 and 18 years, respectively, to not reach their ultimate goal. Does that constitute as a failure? I'm not the one to judge. Only they can say whether or not the ride was worth it. I am a man of many emotions, a disgusting amount of them to be exact. I am undoubtedly a little jealous of the fact that they were unwavering in their passion for the game, in their passion for the ultimate goal, regardless of whether or not it was reached. I want to say that I'd much prefer pouring my heart and soul into one close failure that abruptly ends, over trying to grasp for anything and everything that could be beneficial down the road. Critics will say that's impatient and short sighted. And, quite frankly, it is. But at least these girls knew it was right. They'll tackle the future when they get there.
Security and stability are undervalued in our culture. But so are risk taking and living in the moment. Why go out of your way to put your best days ahead of you, when you could be living them now? I think I'd rather try to attack down the odds and fail, than play conservative. You don't hit on 19, but you have to on 16 every single time.
It's such a simplistic notion to "live everyday to the fullest," yet most of us do not do so. I spend a lot of time wondering how easy my life would be if I could shoot a ball like Kobe, but what isn't spoken of is how much time and effort he has put into his ability to shoot a basketball. Maybe I could shoot as well as him if I shot 500 times a day, 7 times a week, and built up my body as he did. I may never know.
ReplyDeleteHowever, what needs to be said here is that not everyone on earth possesses the drive to be spectacular. Some do, and their names become synonymous with success (Bill Gates, whose story is remarkable if you look into it, comes to mind here). An unrelenting drive, a passion to succeed, all of these things go into every walk of life.
"Don't hit on 19" is an excellent expression for most situations, Chris. But I promise you that Kobe Bryant and Bill Gates hit on 19 very often in their rises to success. No risk, no reward. Is settling for 19, when 21 is attainable, really the way we want to be remembered?
Great stuff buddy.