Thursday, July 23, 2009

Living the Dream!

Copyright Tattered Edge 2009

So awhile back I mentioned that I had applied to volunteer and be a part of the 2010 Olympic & Paralympic Games that are taking place here in Vancouver starting on February 12th. It was a dream of mine, something I had had on my life list for a long time.

This week, I got an official offer, which I accepted. I AM IN!! And the best part of all is that I will be working on the Events Services Team at BC Place Stadium, so I will be there for the Opening and Closing Ceremonies and all the Victory Celebrations (medal ceremonies) as well as the Opening ceremonies for the Paralympic Games! It's a great job description and I think I will really enjoy it. I can't wait!

The funny thing about all this is that when the announcement was made that Vancouver had won the bid for the 2010 Games 6 years ago, I was sitting in my car with the radio on, waiting for a ferry in the interior of the province. (I was on vacation.) I was so disappointed to learn that they were having a recruiting fair later that week and I would miss my chance to be a part of it all. There was no way I was going to be home in time to sign up in person.

It turned out that about a year and a half ago, they did a second recruitment and this time, you could simply go online to apply. I guess lots of people who signed up in that first wave either moved, lost interested or were otherwise unavailable or something. Anyway, I submitted my info, hoping that I would be chosen. In December, I was invited to be in the first group of volunteers to go through the vetting and initial training process, which I was thrilled to do and now, a few months later, I have officially been accepted to the 2010 Team! WOOHOO!!

I will be very proud to serve and represent my country during the games. I can't tell you how happy I am going to be when at the end of it all, I will be able to cross this dream off my life's to-do list. Anyone who knows me, knows that when the Olympics are on, everything stops dead in my life for the duration of the games. I do nothing but watch Olympic events, all day, every day. I cheer for the athletes (whether they are from my country or not), I follow the news stories that come out of the games, I cry when they award medals and I feel quietly, though joyfully patriotic when I hear the first notes of our national anthem played and see the Maple Leaf rise.

The Olympics for me are what is best about the human family. It's about having a dream and moving heaven and earth to realize it. It's about being graceful in defeat. It's about competing peacefully despite what's going on in the world and embracing one another through the international language of sport. It's a celebration of the strength of the human spirit.

As I was saying to Michelle the other day after I saw her perfectly timed post, (We were on the same page!) I think it's so important for everyone to have a "life list"- a list of things that you want to do in your lifetime, whether they mean anything to anyone else or not. This is the stuff that fires your imagination, brings you joy and just makes you happy to be alive.

Some of the things on my list are:
-Improve my Spanish
-Go to Wyoming to visit Deb
get a dog
-have a regular writing gig that pays
-replace or eliminate everything in my house that I don't LOVE
-Trek to Everest Basecamp
-help people
-acquire more art for my walls (Small canvasses)
-go to Artfest
-work on a crisis line
-get a tattoo
-see my son get married
-Live in a foreign country
-Visit Alaska
-Write a book
-see the Indigo Girls in concert
-meet Anna & Carlos
-publish my poetry
-learn to play African Drums
-Play Miss Hannigan in the musical "Annie"
-teach mixed media art
-see my son graduate
-visit Northern Canada
-write a zine (or two)
-return to NYC to visit Anna & Carlos again
-have friends over for an art party
-teach myself to play harmonica
-visit the Holocaust Museum
-go to Journalfest

(There's more and of course I am always adding to this list.)

So...what's on your life list? Care to play along? Post a comment and leave me a link to yours if you do!

6 comments:

Amy Huff said...

Congrats, that is super exciting! As a fellow lover all things Olympic I'm incredibly happy for you and can't wait for Feb!

Di said...

There is a JOURNAL FEST??? Who knew, apparently not I.That would be fun! I am going to play along - will think of my list and post later. Thank you for sharing your list.loved reading it. So excited for you and your postion for the Olympics. So very cool! I tear too when our flag is raised (and take alot of ribbing for it in our house!)

Bettyann said...

congrats..I know you have been waiting to hear some good news...I think I will make a life list also..thanks for the idea..

Anonymous said...

Congratulations! What an absolutely awesome opportunity!

Michele said...

Hi! I just followed you Jenna's blog, Cold Antler Farm. I decided to follow yours because I would love to visit Vancouver someday AND I am going in for tests on Tuesday to see if I have MS too. MS or not, I do have a painful auto-immune disorder. We are just trying to figure out which one, if we can.
Congrats on the news about the Olympic job. What an excellent opportunity!
I also love the list idea. I think I may do one like this on my blog. I really DO need to get focused and this seems like a fun way to do it.
Cheers, and nice to meet 'cha!

Sherry said...

I can't think of a better person to be so involved with these coming Olympics. And I can't think of a better place they could have chose for you to work...good things come to good people. You were meant to be part of this experience as you see by the second wave of recruiting. I'm so thrilled for you I'm still smiling!

You reminded me as well to up-date and rethink my "life list" of things I want to do, see and accomplish. For that I thank you ♥