Winners and Losers

The Olympics have begun!
And, while we will all cheer for underdogs like the Jamaican bobsled team, much of the public focus will be on the winners, and occasionally on the losers who were expected to win.
Yet, the real story…
The one that I think REALLY matters…
Is that most of the athletes who compete will lose, yet they compete just the same.
They will stand in the starting gate or wait for the music to begin knowing that their best on their best day does not come close to what is needed to win a medal or to stand for a moment on a podium.  Yet when the gate drops or the music begins they will dance on the ice or speed down the mountain or push themselves towards the finish line.

While we will applaud the hard work and the dedication and the sacrifices made by those who win and whose life stories will be shown in 60 second clips, it is all those others who I want to celebrate because they are the ones who truly represent the rest of us. They are the ones who are more like you and me than the few winners we will recognize and idolize.  Billions and billions of us get up each day and do our best knowing that, despite doing our best or trying our hardest, most of the time no one will notice.  We will never make the news.  We will never be recognized.  We will never receivethe gold.  We just get up each morning and do it all over again.

So, this morning…
Thank you to all of those unsung heroes.
Thank you to all the rest of you, as well.