Happy Monday!
The Olympics provides today’s word-of-the-week…
SHARED
Like many folks, I’m watching Olympic sporting events I normally wouldn’t pay much attention to. It’s less about the sports and more about the athletes and their stories.
On Saturday I watched the men’s 10,000 meter run. I’d never heard of gold medalist Mo Farah from Great Britain or American silver medalist Galen Rupp.
Farah and Rupp are training partners in Eugene, Oregon. As they crossed the finish line of this grueling race, they weren’t seeking individual attention. In a moment of great accomplishment, each man wanted first to congratulate the other. The race is an individual effort, but the preparation is the result of shared sacrifice.
As Farah and Rupp shared their victory lap, I imagined a cold, lonely morning when one of them didn’t want to keep running up a steep hill. I thought of a hot summer afternoon when the other guy just couldn’t do one more sprint. But they encouraged each other, and their shared sacrifice paid off in that final 100-meter sprint in London.
I’m not sure why we need the myth of individual accomplishment. but life was designed to happen in community. It’s amazing how much can be accomplished when we don’t care who gets the credit.
The effort, sacrifice, and results are all sweeter when they’re shared.
Have a great week.