So Long Sochi
It's now 12 hours until I catch my cab to the airport. Everyone is leaving in waves. Every time I think about how much I want to see my son, tears well up. I have a 6 am flight to Moscow. 11 am from Moscow to JFK. I land at 12:30 pm and meet my son and his Grandparents in JFK and he and I head to Florida for a few days for vacation just the two of us. I've grown and changed here.
For every challenge there is a choice. It's powerful to realize you have a choice. I'm grateful I have grown up enough to be able to act and not just react.
Sochi was so many things. This event tested my limits on a physical and emotional level I did not think was possible. The physical exhaustion was a shared experience by everyone I met. I have not been this sleep deprived since I had a newborn. Food was good but extremely expensive so, sometimes I only ate one meal a day. Hydration was always a concern. For such a humid seeming place I was always on the hunt for water. The only other place I felt this dehydrated was in Park City, Utah.
My housing changed 4 times. But, I am so blessed with wonderful friends that when things fell apart they stepped in to help me like I was doing them a favor. The accommodations could not have been better. Amazing angels and helpers came from every direction.
My access to the venue came from an unexpected source. I was not even sure up until I arrived that I would even have access. Having it completely changed how this entire trip would have been and the work I was able to do. Maybe it's work that only means something to me, but I hope it will stand the test of time and be a meaningful documentation of this unique place and time. Without the tireless help from from a friend in the right place that believed in me, this would have been completely different.
There were many instances that we would put our hands up, shrug our shoulders and say,"Russia." You had to just accept that this is the way things are done (or not done) here. You had to accept this situation as presented and that you had no control and the people you may have thought did have control are now changing the way the thing you thought you had figured out. For example, the bus routes, the office locations, the access points, how much things cost, hours of operation, clearly marked ladies rooms with men just walking in, constant construction STILL happening, even now, even today - the list could go on and on. But, you can let it frustrate you or you can choose to accept it and move on. I choose the later.
I spent 4 years working to come here to Sochi. It was a very personal passion that brought me here almost completely on my own dime. Why, some folks have asked. It's important to me to make a contribution to my sport. It's important to me to help tell the story of the amazing athletes and the sport itself. I have a unique perspective and I wanted to share it. I am doing that so, I feel very successful. But, I am ready to let others build on the foundation that I have contributed to. I hope they do but, that is up to them. Will the sport let the foundation crumble away like I fear the venues here will in the future? Only time will tell. I have made my gift. I let go of what they do with it.
During my time here I have spoken honestly. I have lost an old friend in an accident in Patagonia. The only comfort is that he died doing what he was passionate about - he died living. A lesson for us all. I also learned that someone I had hoped to build a life with is dying of Liver Cancer and chose another path for the rest of his short time here. I have also witnessed history in amazing sporting performances and lessons of resilience and that anything can happen and most often does. I hold close what is most important to me. My family, my friends, my company and my community. I am rededicating myself to putting my full attention in these places now that my Olympic experiences are coming to a close and I am absolutely thrilled to be coming home today.
