Time for another He Said/She Said, this time of the Olympic viewing variety.
His Take: Sitting in Rahway, NJ, ordering a flight of yummy beer – ok it is my second flight of beer and btw, who in God’s name came up with an idea to put small amounts of alcohol in tiny glasses, lay them in a wooden plank and charge more for doing so, amazing – my thoughts shift to exposed bums. Allow me to explain…
Her Take: Hail to the Olympian gods! The sweat, the tears, the blood and the pride which conquers, inspires and thrills us until this very day. The competitive spirit is aroused and exposed for all to see.
His Take: I watched 12 hours of beach volleyball yesterday and never blinked. The reason, I was transfixed by the Eiffel Tower backdrop. In all its grandeur, dutiful in its erect posture; it perfectly adorned the far edges of the Parisian sky, as it stood guard by its sand-filled foreground, housing athletes, devoted spectators, and spinning bouncy orbs – waiting for glory.
Her Take: Confounded was I by this wholly, round sphere skyrocketing into the air never to touch sand. Charging, pouncing and toppling to salvage the coveted volleyball from the multitudinous, granular ground-scape.
His Take: I switched the option on my trusted companion, (otherwise known as my firestick), and proceeded to watch gymnastics trampoline.
Her Take: Housed in walled, netted trampolines these gymnasts aimed for the sky.
His Take: These warriors of the mesh were ready to climb their transparent mountain armed only with the escalation of the layered ladders of forgotten triumphs.
Her Take: X’s not O’s marked the spot of top-tier scoring, congratulatory hugs and sun-beamed smiles.
His Take: I exited the trampoline selection and moved to synchronization. It was of the aquatic, free-falling endeavor.
Her Take: Hovering high above the crowd these twin-like beings dove off of the boards, into the waters and out of the spectators’ sight. This symbiotic relationship between teammates was mesmerizing.
His Take: On a platform standing more than 30-feet in the air, two divers, side-by-side, plunged into alluring, crystal-clear, 78.8-degree Fahrenheit tempered water. The champions of this incredibly impressive feat executed their decent seamlessly, as the juxtaposed position made it almost impossible to determine the separation of one athlete from the next.
Her (final) Take: The Olympics are a call for the best of the best to compete and secure the gold for their respective countries. The event garners millions of views worldwide and for a moment, if just one moment, begs us to forget our differences and play. For spectators, it is an opportunity to root for our favorite athlete or our homeland, near or far. The Olympics are the mechanization through which skill and talent come together to be tested, tried and awarded for excellence.
His (final) Take: I have never missed an Olympic games. The two weeks of international contests never fail to inspire and insulate feelings of pure joy. The Olympiad allow us to continue to envision how things can be when the spirit of sportsmanship is embraced. This time the games are being held in France. A breathtaking land rich in cuisine, architecture, and unity. As I hold onto the final days of this summer offering, I cannot help but think of a scene in a movie where the main character tells us a story during an audition. The words she speaks and eventually sings ring clear and true —
My aunt used to live in Paris
And I remember she told us that she jumped into the river once
Leapt, without looking
And tumbled into the Seine
Here’s to the ones who dream
Foolish as they may seem
She captured a feeling
Sky with no ceiling
The sunset inside a frame
I’ll always remember the flame
So bring on the rebels
The ripples from pebbles
The painters, and poets, and plays
And here’s to the fools who dream
Crazy as they may seem
We believe all of us need a little more curiosity and light heartedness. Seeking adventure and continuously learning about others through virtue is what the Olympic games represent. Put whatever agenda may be clouding your judgement to think otherwise, at least until the torch is extinguished.
Did You Know? Originally, women were not allowed to compete at the Olympics. Married women were not even permitted to attend the Olympics as visitors. If women were caught trying to sneak into the games, they were thrown off Mount Olympus as punishment. For the first time in history, the Paris 2024 Olympic Games will see an equal number of men and women competing. This 50:50 representation of athletes makes the Summer Games the first to reach gender equality.
Thank you again I was hoping you would write about the Games This year for me personally it has brought me indescribable JOY I visited Paris when I was 20 Fell in Love with the city- its people the food etc etc —I did not get back until 40 Plus years later and loved it even more—AND now watching the Athletes compete showing the world what a special city it is i Wonderful gift for me a perfect memory ———— everyone who will take the time to see what the beauty of watching these wonderful Athletes from ALL OVER THE WORLD compete and give each other mutual respect celebrating together triumphs and comforting each other when losses come — brings out the very BEST in all of us THANK S to all of them and MERCI Beaucoup PARIS