As the days come and go, I try to figure out what to do with the enormous amount of enormous feelings I have about *she stops to gesture all around at the whole world.
I look for things that make me feel good. Things that bring me peace, get the oxytocin flowing, make me laugh, and bring me hope.
On a whim, we signed up for Peacock in February to start watching the Olympics ’26 in Milan Cortina. What started out as something we thought we’d try watching a little bit of, turned into a nightly ritual that was pure salvation for two weeks straight. We ate dinner on the couch while glued to as many game replays as we could fit into our evening. Games we hadn’t even heard of before, like biathlon, familiar games like slalom, and even ones that used to sound boring (apologies, cross country skiers. however, I am now converted!), became riveting worlds we escaped into.
In this time of deep upheaval, widespread grief, cruelty, and horror, the Olympics reminded me of all the good that humans are capable of. I know I’m not alone in this; several friends have expressed they experienced the same thing while watching. So this is my ode to the Olympics.
Dear Olympics ’26,
Thank you for:
The majestic Italian Alps.
The camaraderie, even among competitors.
The moment each athlete realized they had won the gold. I cried every time.
The flips the aerial skiers did.
All the languages being spoken and celebrated.
The nationalities gathered together in one place, standing side by side.
The scary intensity of speed skaters.
The way bobsledders slid their visor down when they were ready to take off. A very Do Not F*** With Me gesture.
Snoop’s words of wisdom for athletes.
The coaches cheering their athletes on from the sidelines. I thought to myself, “Every person needs a coach in their life.”
The families wearing t-shirts and carrying banners and going wild for their son/daughter/niece/neighbor/brother/etc.
The drama of the gold medal ceremony theme song – the “this is such a special moment”-ness of it, but also the “THIS IS A REALLY BIG ASS DEAL”-ness of it.
The athletes hugging after the competition because they’re just so happy to be doing what they do.
The volume of each bobsledding coaching team’s voices as their athlete set off on the track. An absolute wall of cheer.
The tears that came to athletes faces after having competed the best race of their lives.
The unbridled, innocent joy of the wins.
The tears that came when they didn’t do as well as they had hoped, and you realize as an audience member how much this had meant to them.
All the hard work and training on display. These days, the value of that kind of work and process gets shoved to the side in favor of the instant win, the quick answer, no pain, no cost, no thinking.
The cross country skiers, fighting exhaustion and pain and keeping on going. Knowing the training they’d gone though and watching in real time what endurance actually means. The lesson of not giving up.
The things humans are capable of. The joy. The physical strength. The comeback. The dignity. The determination. The bravery.
Ana Alonso Rodriguez, a skier from Spain, participating in the games even after having been hit by a car a few months prior. She had torn ligaments and an injured shoulder, skied anyway and won bronze.
Kaore Sakamoto, Japanese figure skater at what was her final Olympics, skating to “Time to Say Goodbye”.
Maxim Naumov dedicating his figure skating performance to his parents, who died in January 2025 when a military Black Hawk helicopter collided with the plane they were on over Washington D.C. What it must cost to find courage to skate again.
Jessie Diggins, American cross country skier who skied with bruised ribs (bruised! ribs!), powering through to bronze.
Paul Poirier’s reaction after he and his ice dancing partner Piper Gilles performed a beautiful routine. Priceless. I cried.
South Korean snowboarder Gaon Choi’s reaction after having beat the world’s number one player and advancing to gold. So much happiness.
Deanna Stellato-Dudek figure skating at 40 years old – the way they talked about her you’d think she was geriatric. Same with all the other athletes over 30. The commentator’s voice rose several pitches each time they uttered ages like 33, 35, and 38. I’m not an athlete, and I don’t like anything that resembles age discrimination, but apparently in sports age matters? I learned it takes a lot of grit to do what they were doing “at their age”.
Let’s not forget Elana Meyers Taylor who thanked her nanny after winning gold in bobsledding, at the age of… 41!
I entered February immensely heavy-hearted. The Olympics helped me feel better.
I watched an interview with Paralympic champion Noah Elliott, who said “…heart, determination, and try. And you know why try is so important? Because you can never run out of try.”