Red Mittens Inspired.

Ok Dad. Your blog did the trick. I officially want a pair of those Red Olympic Mittens. They look so warm and soft and Olympic-ish. I also wouldn't mind a Miga plushy. But if given the choice, I'll take the mittens. They're warmer.

I actually do support the Olympics. No, I don't like Vanoc's mismanagement of money or the gaudy construction on the banks of False Creek or any number of negative implications of Vancouver hosting the 2010 winter games. But I do like rallying behind young people who have worked extremely hard to do something that they love (or, in some cases, something that they are good at but have a more business-like approach to it) and supporting them as they represent me and my country.

Some people complain that the Olympics are all about money-grubbing and politics and that it's about the Big Man stepping on the little man, etc. But that's a negative implication that is caused by the money grubbers and the politicians (appointed or not...people can be political without being a part of the government, if you understand my use of the word)...not the athletes. Yes I know, athletes can be money grubbers and politicians themselves....but hear what I am saying. At the core of it, the Olympics are designed to celebrate the efforts of young people dedicated to excelling at the sport(s) they are in, by way of international competition. It is a chance to celebrate other countries' ethnicity and culture.

Look at the Beijing Olympics last summer. I was blown away by the performances put on, both by their athletes, and by their Opening and Closing Ceremonies. Being able to wake up to a call from my father, in Beijing, as he sat in the Opening Ceremonies, listening to the incredible drum beats pouring in through my cell phone, was an experience I'll never forget. Yes, the Closing Ceremony was extravagant by anyone's definition, but it was incredible to watch and exclaim over. Ok, so the money spent could be used to feed a small country. You're right. But the price we spend on our lattes every day could feed a child too. That's not my point. My point is that for what the Olympics are designed for - championing young people as they champion us, and celebrating the chance to connect with other nations and cultures - is independent of what people choose to do and how they want to misuse and abuse the Olympics. For myself, I want to support the efforts of young people and of my fellow Canadians, and celebrate in not only other nationalities and cultures, but my own, too. I love Canada, I really do. I don't love some things that the Canadian government does, or some things that my fellow Canadians do...but that doesn't mean I don't love my country. I simply refuse to be jaded by people's actions, so that I don't support all the hard work that these young people...and the work all the rest of those involved...have done and are doing.

So for me, I say, Go Canada!

And I really do want a pair of those mittens.