Imagine

Okay, confession time: even after being a total party pooper and then wholeheartedly apologizing for it, I didn't end up watching much of the Olympics.  I saw bits and pieces of the Opening Ceremonies on YouTube and caught up on the highlights of the more spectacular events, but social media was flooded with spoilers, so I didn't feel the need to tune in every night to NBC's annoying coverage.  (And yes, every time I turned on the TV and saw that little peacock, I griped about how much better the BBC was probably handling the Olympics.)

But Rob was in town this weekend, visiting from London via Saudi Arabia, so we had no choice but to hunker down and watch the Closing Ceremonies.  And, though I already knew what was going to happen thanks to my Twitter-mad English friends, I loved it.  The Closing Ceremonies were whacky and weird and, in sum, capped off a crazy two weeks of unfamiliar (though hopefully long-lasting) patriotism for Britain.  My favorite parts were:

- Prince Harry singing along to "Always Look on the Bright Side of Life"
- Boris Johnson dancing as the Spice Girls performed
- the crowd pumping their arms and chanting "we will we will rock you"

But, as a larger theme, I loved the unity that the event expressed.  It was amazing to watch the athletes - men and women who had been in the glare of international spotlights for weeks - mug for the camera in their excitement, shouting "hi, Mom!" and showing off their medals.  The handover from London to Rio was so enthusiastic; all nationalistic competition seemed to have been left behind as the torches were passed to the 2016 host city and the crowd rejoiced with the dancers.  The whole feeling was one of jubilant togetherness.

We all teared up at the John Lennon tribute during the ceremony.  It seemed to express such hope for the future - so on this beautiful Monday morning, I leave you to imagine...

photo taken in Schull, Co Cork, Ireland; February 2012