The Olympic cauldron was stunning, that is no exaggeration, the copper petals floating up to form one single torch, I had tears. I also cried at 'Flower of Scotland' in Danny Boyle's wonderfully quirky and emotive opening ceremony, and at Muhammad Ali carrying the flag. It was a bit dislocating to see Kenneth Branagh (recently in Wallander) as Brunel, but you were reminded of what a great actor he is, so much in his eyes. The Palestinian athletes brought tears to me too. The Pakistan team - playing hockey - is, sadly, not expected to win any medals, and I thought of my (pretty crappy) hockey 'career' at high school. But Pakistan is making the Olympic footballs, did you know? I'm not really into sport, and obviously don't play, these days, but I can relate to the process of pushing yourself to your absolute limits to get something you want more than anything - in my case, The State of Me being published - and facing hurdles, and overcoming them with pure self-belief and perseverance (and a spoonful of luck). I also very much admire physical stamina and talent and endurance, and wish all the Olympic athletes the best of luck! (I'm fickle with my support, at primary school I got into trouble for cheering for Ireland at a Scotland - Ireland hockey match - I felt sorry for Ireland as they were losing.).
3 comments:
Lovely post!
Like you say, striving for achievement against all odds is quite familiar to us pwme. Just like to Olympians...
I thought the cauldron was beautiful too, it's when I teared up. I had misplaced concern for all the team members standing out there for so long in the cold...it would destroy me but I'm sure it was no problem for them!
Hey Catherine, I worried a little that my post had suggested that if you really want something enough you can get it, which is simply not the case with M.E, so am glad you got my drift. The journey to getting a first novel published is all too often a giant hurdle, but in my case, particularly hard, but all's well that ends well! And when you are extremely ill, as so many PWME continue to be, even making a cup of tea can seem Olympian. I will never forget how hard the slightest task could be at my most ill.
Hey Alison, I always worry when people have to stand for ages, I want them to be able to sit down, but I imagine for athletes this is simply not a problem! Bizarre. Yes, the cauldron was spellbinding, it made me feel a child-like wonder that such things can even be.
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