olympics.

Like basically every other kid I knew at the time (which wasn’t very many…), watching the Olympics was a huge thing to look forward to every other year. I vividly remember (with the help of old VHS family tapes) reenacting figure skating, ski jumps, gymnastics (though I can’t do a cartwheel…), and who knows what else my mind came up with. One of the most memorable iterations of home grown Olympic glory came during a summer Olympic year, back in the days when kids played outside with their neighbors every single day. Janine and my favorite neighbor kid in Kansas was named Michael. When it came to bringing a new perspective on creativity, Michael always delivered. Somehow, we got the idea of making our own Olympics and competing against each other. Our events had to be relatively risk-free, but still fun. We had two main ones that I can remember: Hurtling - jumping over the miniature Little Tykes red and yellow picnic table - in either normal orientation or inverted for more challenge, or Boxing - going down the playground slide in a box...because mom said no to going down the inside stairs. Those were the days. I think it’s time to bring back our own Olympics. Who’s with me?