Blog # 156...August 2024
As I begin to write this, the
opening ceremonies of the Paris Olympics are due to begin in about an hour and
they will be spectacular… despite spoilers blocking three of the rail lines
leading into the City. I'm certain Parisians will turn out to fill the stands
and cheer the event.
In the original spirit of the
games, which included art forms as well as sport, Canadian double Olympian
(hurdles and bobsledding) Phylicia George will read her spoken word poem The
Gold Within. Arts bring an added dimension to the games and it's
particularly delicious to have one of our own athletes exploring "the gold
within all of us" in her poem.
Women are much on my mind lately
for various reasons, specific ones like Alice, Kamala, Celine and Summer, as
well as the many who suffer and sometimes die in the epidemic of intimate
partner violence. It doesn't really fit my topic but needs to be brought forward,
even in a piece devoted to art.
It's now later on Friday and the
Olympics are officially open, with a. huge welcoming throng. Boats large
and small filled the Seine. In a spirit of friendly rivalry, Canadian athletes
shared a river cruiser with Cameroon, Chile, the Central African Republic and
China. The artistic production moved from Victor Hugo to Lady Gaga and back
again, honouring some of the women of the Revolution on the way. The best shot of all for me though was
catching Emmanuel Macron's look of astonishment during Lady G's number.
Back for now to my thoughts of women: Thousands of words have been written about Alice Munro over the past weeks and it seems to me that Katherine Ashenburg sums it
up "We look to art to reflect darkness and moral complexity, so we
shouldn't be surprised that artists are as flawed as the rest of us”. But make
no mistake, Alice’s flaw was major.
Kamala Harris is Momala to her loving step children. Wow, let's keep our finger crossed for
the next few months until she's safe in the Oval office and we can lift our
fists in relief at missing that particular bullet.
The breathtaking comeback
appearance of Celine Dion on the
balcony of the Eiffel Tower - what a dramatic moment in a couple of hours
drenched in them...as well as with rain! And a silver medal for Summer McIntosh for the 400 meter freestyle medley event.
Most of all though, I think of Andrea Robin Skinner, Alice Munro's youngest daughter abused by her
stepfather in the ultimate betrayal. These
women all inspire me in different ways with their talent, their perseverance
and, in some cases at least, their courage.
I have mixed feelings about the
Olympics, maybe their most useful role is distraction from the serious crises
in the world, maybe a few meaningful relationships are formed, but does that
make it all worth the expense and
climate destruction? My plan is to become head of the IOC and build a permanent site in
Greece where both summer and winter games will be held every 4 years with the
emphasis on the sports rather than sponsors, TV rights and size of the audience…ah well, I
can dream can’t I?
Doesn’t mean I don’t jump up and cheer when
Summer wins gold…as a swimmer myself, although I can’t come anywhere near her speed or
the distances covered by Marilyn Bell or Diana Nyad, I feel a watery kinship
with them.
September will bring me back with something completely different, hope to see you then
