I’ve been playing hooky from blogging lately to concentrate on work and housekeeping and Olympics watching. I found it interesting that about the time the Olympics began the page view count on my blog spiked and the sources of increased page views were Russia and Ukraine…very peculiar. I have pretty major security in use and my computer doesn’t seem to be hacked, so I think I’m OK. Although Blogger counts them, Google Analytics ignores those page views in its statistics so I’m guessing they’re spammer sites that are finding my blog unattractive. I doubt that Olympics attendees have much interest in an old guy blogging about life in the sandwich generation!

Speaking of the Olympics, I’m finding the amount of grace and courage displayed by other than the Russian and French news media to be heartwarming and life affirming. The athletes are amazingly kind and generous to each other, complimentary of each other’s efforts and even internationally supportive. Yes, it’s all about winning for self and country; but even more than that, it’s about courage and commitment and determination in the face of insurmountable odds and obstacles.

It’s about athletes like skater Jeremy Abbott who was inspired by cheers from the home crowd to get back to his feet after a horrible and painful fall to the ice and to finish what he set out to do, despite the pain and realization that all medal hopes were gone. It’s about athletes like bobsledder Steve Holcomb who despite a degenerative eye disease and a calf injury never gave up, and pulled off his fastest start on run four and with his partner Steve Langton earned the first American medal in two-man sledding in 62 years. It’s about Bode Miller and Noelle Pikus-Pace and Alex Bilodeau for whom family is more important than any race and doing their best is as much for their family as it is for themselves.

This biggest of sporting events is all about what drives people, what inspires them, what calls to their soul, what compels them to give everything they have to a goal, a mission, a purpose.

So my question for the day is one I’ve asked before; what inspires you? What compels you? What informs the decisions you make and the actions you take? When people ask me about what they should do in difficult situations I don’t usually ask them where their head is on such issues; I ask them where their heart is. For me, family trumps everything else. My family inspires me, they compel me, they drive me to the decisions I make and the actions I take. If my family needs me, that’s where I will be. For a man who isn’t prone to display a lot of emotion or passion, and who often appears distant or reserved my family is where my passion lies. I have faith that my needs will be taken care of while I’m focused on theirs.

That’s where my head is today; well, there and wondering what other pondering the Olympics will inspire as we head into the final few days. Being reminded of life’s lessons through the games…Pops