Evenin' all.
I'm alive. This is proof of life. If you're wondering where I've been, well, i'm about to spend some time filling you in. You might want to put the kettle on and make yourself a cuppa, caus' we're going to be here for a while.
Don't worry. I'll wait.
Grab some biscuits too. But only if they're custard creams.
You done? Sure?
Cool.
Sitting comfortably? Well, I'll begin.
If you've been in a mine for the past few weeks you might not have noticed that the Olympic and Paralympic games descended on London like a hurricane this summer. I cannot tell you how much it effected the city. There was an almost euphoric buzz which permeated the city and left almost noone untouched. Never before have I either seen nor felt such a sense of profound sense of nation pride. It was almost as if the entire country forgot that we were in the middle of a recession and had less the two pence to rub together and collectively decided to celebrated the brilliance and diversity which makes this united kingdom unique. Its exactly England's ability to take that which is alien and make it England that is our strength. We are a mongrel nation. A melting pot of cultures and beliefs and people who have be brewing for almost four thousands years.
Maybe longer.
Definitely longer.
Both our behavior as a nation and our performance at games was astounding and exemplary. Everyone who participated, from the athletes, to the volunteers who worked entirely for free, to the organizers, to the workers who served both the staff and the public has every reason to feel proud of themselves.
I had the opportunity to see the beast up close. I worked at a McDonalds in the athletes village. I served athletes from every country on the planet. I worked with people from all corners of the globe. The professionalism and hard work I both saw and was a part of was inspirational.
Especially the disabled staff and the paralympians.
I saw and served men and woman who had lost limbs, their eyesight. Who were wheelchair bound. And each and everyone of the refused to feel sorry for themselves. They demanded your respect. They refused to see themselves as disabled.
In the face of their fierce determination and refusal of pity I made a solemn vow to again complain about my life choices or hardships. I have neither the excuse nor the right. Am where I am because of conscious choices I made. Not through flights of fancy.
More later. Enjoy your sunday.
