Watching the Olympics and Marveling at the Human Body
I love watching the Olympics. Winter or summer, it’s all so fascinating. The athletes push their bodies to the limits of what is possible. They work for years to strengthen, stretch, and train their bodies to perform their sport at the highest levels.
Some athletes attach themselves to skis and fly down a snowy mountain at 88 miles per hour. And then, when a little bump or slide interrupts balance and they tumble down. Even after that, their body can slowly get up and continue. No doubt they are shaken and in pain, but they still get up on their feet, or skis.
Ice skaters attach blades to their feet and balance and spin and jump and smile. Yes, they fall too, but they also get back up. They practice their skills and routines for years to perfect their art, their sport. What the human body can withstand is amazing.
Our bodies are extraordinary. Whether we’re elite athletes or someone sitting at a desk writing a blog post, our bodies can do amazing things. Read, write, type, cry, walk, run, whatever we are doing our body is part of it.
Our bodies can withstand illnesses and modifications. Our bodies can be born differently and still carry us throughout our lives. As we get older, it slows with age, but it keeps going.
Our bodies carry the impact of our lives. My own body has healed from five surgeries. I’ve had part of a lung removed due to infection and my breasts were removed due to cancer. Each time my body recovered, and my life continued to move forward, even when it seemed impossible.
My body didn’t recover perfectly, my scars tell the stories. Much like athletes, their injuries, and their scars tell their stories. So many of us have scars that tell of times when we thought our bodies betrayed us, but instead they healed and continued to carry us.
The human body is a marvel. Think about how many processes are going on within your body right now, digestion, breathing, blinking, filtering toxins, absorbing nutrients, and maybe even creating a new life. It’s truly astounding to think of everything our bodies are doing in any given moment.
That’s part of why I love to watch the Olympics. The athletes and what they can do with their bodies, is amazing. I never get tired of watching them perform their sports. Watching them push the limits of the human body, the longest jump, the fastest speed, the most spins in the air, and how high they can fly.
Our bodies are amazing. Even when we don’t love the shape, or how it’s changed, we still can be amazed at what it’s been through, what it can do, and how it continues to survive and sometimes even thrive.
Today's image is from Canva.
Be well,
Nikki
