Its been a few weeks since I wrote one of these posts, 3 in fact. Since then, we have had the Wimbledon Final, the European Football Championship Final and we are now a week into the Olympics. Watching lots of sport rarely induces calm. Unless of course it’s The Dressage, or the dancing horses as I prefer to call it. Like many of you reading this I imagine, I rarely watch any kind of equestrian sport. And yet, each time the Olympics comes around, I find myself captivated by The Dressage. The relationship between riders and their horses is so strong and the control with which the riders manage their horses is a delight to watch. The lightness of touch, the delicacy and precision with which these sleek and shiny creatures move is captivating. It was a delight to watch the GB team do so well and to see Charlotte Dujardin win a Bronze medal was wonderful.
In fact the whole Olympic spirit is something quite incredible. The dedication these sports men and women show to their sport, their commitment and yet their humility despite their phenomenal achievements has had me in tears every night this week as I’ve watched the highlights. The endless stories of Olympians who have come back from dreadful injuries, battled a continuous lack of funding whilst often managing a day job along side training is terribly humbling. They show such calm under the kind of pressure that most of us could never imagine. Their example is a shining one, and one I will try to carry with me into a new week
As I finish writing this I am reminded of the first lines from the wise poem ‘If’ by Rudyard Kipling
If you can keep your head when all about youAre losing theirs and blaming it on you,If you can trust yourself when all men doubt you,But make allowance for their doubting too;
