Journal to a Muse

What I learned from the (Knitting) Olympics
1. Measurable goals and achievements help maintain focus.
2. Anticipation of victory is motivating.
3. Post menopausal women need extra training, and cool down periods after hot flashes
4. Competition is really not my cup of tea, but I love hoopla and parties.
5. When you commit to a project, you un-commit to a lot of other stuff. (Reading, work, family, exercise, meal preparation. It's a good thing my kids already left home. They'd have thought I was abducted by aliens.)
6. Play to your strengths. Let other people do the other stuff. I'd have been better at brainstorming, encouraging, even coaching than speed, endurance and performance.
7. Maintaining optimism is important because people ahead of you may get reckless, DQ'd or lodged in a snow bank.
8. Goals that are too challenging are discouraging.
9. Discouragement is temporary.
10. The team may be stronger if you are on the sidelines. This is both humbling and a big relief.
11. Size 2 needles require LOTS of stitches even if you are only making sox or something for a baby.
12. When you are skidding downhill fast, jettison what you can and get out of the way of anyone behind you.
13. It's not over till it's over.

The winners aren't always who you expect.
Four countries got just One (1) medal, but it was Gold. (Cameroon, Dominican Republic, Ireland and The United Arab Emirates. North Korea got 5, but NO Gold. Eighteen (18) countries had single medals, and of those five (5) were "only" bronze.
Every country that went won something.

I didn't meet my goals, or exceed anyone's expectations. I felt so bad.

Then I realized, those are COUNTRY's medal counts. TEAM's medal counts.
I am not a COUNTRY! I am not a TEAM.
Many participants went home without medals, but with memories.
Me, too.
And it was good.