Winter Olympics

I love the Winter Olympics. I enjoy seeing the variety of activities that comprise winter sports. No one ever goes bobsledding in PE. Most parents discourage their kids from leaping into the air and twirling around and around like arial ski jumpers. And then there's two-man luge...well, it just looks so silly that it makes me laugh.I love how different body types suit different sports. Women with thick-muscled thighs win gold medals speed racing, but itty bitty teenagers excel at figure skating.

And I'm completely fascinated by the psychological drive these athletes possess. Skier Lindsey Vonn raced--and won--despite a painful injury. Figure skater Joannie Rochette won a bronze medal, performing even though her mother died just days ago. That kind of inner strength amazes me. And Shaun White, knowing he'd already won the gold medal, exceeded his previous score by whipping out an even more gravity-defying trick in his second run. Wow!

All of the athletes competing have worked so incredibly hard to reach the Olympics, and all their hopes and dreams depend upon one race or one performance. So many dreams are dashed when a skier hooks a tip, a skater catches an edge, a bobsled takes a turn too wide.

I'm so incredibly grateful that writing a novel doesn't come down to one single submission--writers have so many chances, and we can revise. Imagine a figure skater saying to the judges, um, excuse me, but I'd like to revise that triple lutz...

Just for fun, here's a picture of me skiing the run that was used for women's downhill during the Salt Lake City 2002 Olympics. I can't ski anywhere near as fast as Lindsey Vonn, and she never stops mid-run to rest her thighs, but I love going fast!

Here's to following your dreams--I hope they don't come down to one defining moment, but if they do, good luck!