The Paralympics

 

Going through it at the moment. I have been watching quite a bit of the Paralympics and have found some of the contests and races a great tribute to the human race, of adversity being overcome.

One swimming race, I said to my partner just how much spray one guy was kicking up, his legs thrashing away! He certainly never came first, but when he stood up at the finish he had no arms. So, a "winner". (I say "he" but sometimes the short clip they show, and what with wearing a cap, not always sure)

And the comradeship and support they give to each other. After so many races, often close finishes, winner and loser so often hug each other with genuine depth and emotion - obviously, through their very own struggles against adversity they feel a deep empathy for other contestants, no matter what country they are from.

Last night I watched the ladies 100 metres final, eight finalists. Netherlands, 1st, 2nd and third. A clean sweep. Various disabilities on display and I'd estimate that I would have come in 9th! But hey, I'm 75 - that's my excuse! The gold medalist, a lovely looking girl in her twenties, obviously overjoyed at her success, but never forgetting all the other runners. She had suffered some problem, I think in her teens, where poor circulation had effected her extremities, hands and feet. First one leg amputated, then later a second - at different levels. Then, sadly, many of her fingers.

Tulips from Amsterdam!

What can you say? No words can truly express the emotions that girl has been through, and to try to understand the sheer grit and determination that led her to an Olympic Gold is beyond me. All I could do was look on in admiration and wonder. What a triumph over adversity, and I would hazard a guess that family support, and the support of friends, played a huge part.

So there. What can I say? Pointless, futile, to ask myself just why I spend so much time in dread and anxiety - with all my limbs, a loving wife, a nice home, lovely daughter and two beautiful grandchildren (just wish that they could stop treading Blu Tack into our carpet...) and virtually no financial worries. That said, who can understand the mind? Though we share so much in our common humanity , we are each particular individuals, each given our own struggles. Who can truly understand?

Well, that is it. Once more I have tapped this out while sipping a coffee in McDonalds, never sure exactly what I am going to say until I have said it.

All the best to you all

May true Dharma continue
No blame. Be kind. Love everything