I’ve been bitten by the Olympic bug. For nearly 1500 days, I couldn’t tell you the first thing about snow cross, Nordic combined or short track speed skating. But for these two weeks I’m hooked. So, as the snow falls outside I’m watching the end of the ladies’ 10K individual free cross country skiing event. The race has long been decided, but the camera’s are still on watching each of the 78 competitors cross the finish line.

And that’s why I love the Olympics. Most of the time we are so single-minded in our focus on winning. We can barely pay attention to who finished second, much less last. But when the Olympics are on, for some reason we slow down just a bit, and we take note of everyone who participates. We seem to understand what it means just to get to the Olympics. We are led to appreciate the dedication, the sacrifice, the luck, and the effort. And because we do, we slow down. We take the time to watch all 78 competitors cross the finish line. In two weeks, these athletes and their sports will disappear for another 1500 days. But for the moment, I am hooked.

For the record: Vera Viczian of Hungary finished 75th.