Like many over the last few weeks, we’ve tuned into and kept tabs on the Olympics, taking in the highs, the lows, the close finishes, the crashes, the drama and the records set.
Watching it has left us pondering the phrase “meet the moment.”
Numerous athletes rose to the occasion and met the moment, earning medals and bringing joy to the countries they represented.
Others had to meet the moment in unexpected ways.
Lindsey Vonn, for example, has garnered a lot of attention after rupturing her ACL prior to the Olympics, but opting to go forward with chasing after her dream of returning to the Olympics.
Obviously, that return didn’t pan out the way she wanted and instead of a medal and a spot on the podium, she dodged danger of amputation, has undergone numerous surgeries, faced significant blood loss and seemingly has half of a hardware store’s supply holding her leg together while it heals.
She could have dropped out of the limelight, choosing anger in dealing with how things have turned out, but instead she’s met the moment with gratitude, grace and kept her fans apprised of her challenges every step of the way.
It’s nothing short of inspiring.
Meeting the moment isn’t just about the big times or when things go well. It isn’t just for the athletes who set records or win the gold. It’s not only about performing well under pressure.
It’s for all of us, no matter where we find ourselves.
It could mean finally trying that new hobby you’ve always been interested in (there’s clearly been a rash of folks delving into curling since the Olympics kicked off). It could mean trying that thing or taking that step you’ve been afraid of, or making that appointment you keep putting off.
It could be a donation to an organization you appreciate, or calling a lawmaker to let them know you agree or disagree with their stances and why. It could mean taking a bigger role in leading the community or working to make a difference on a bigger scale.
If we all work to meet the moment, we’re pretty sure amazing things can happen.
As Jane Goodall said, “What you do makes a difference, and you have to decide what kind of difference you want to make.”
Letters to the editor
We also feel this is a good time for our periodic reminder about what our letters to the editor are — and aren’t — as politics continue to be at a fever pitch and local issues ramp up ahead of elections.
We sometimes hear from people who are unhappy with The SUN’s letters to the editor, primarily because they feel the majority of the letters don’t align with their personal beliefs or politics. Like times where those comments picked up previously, we’ll point out that we continue to live in a time where politics are more divisive than they’ve been in years.
We also live in a time where people are more able and, in some cases, much more willing to share their opinions.
We thank those who offer their input, but we encourage them to not stop at telling us they’re unhappy and deciding to not pick up another copy of The SUN.
The SUN doesn’t pick and choose what letters to print each week based on what we agree with or disagree with, or what we think will trigger the most responses. We print every letter we receive that fits our requirements (except in rare occasions where we receive numerous letters on the same political issue during election season and space doesn’t allow us to print all of them). We print letters representing a variety of viewpoints because we firmly believe in conversation and hearing different ideas.
If you’re unhappy with what you’re seeing in our letters, send us a letter with your point of view; add your thoughts and experiences to the conversation. We’ve all lived through different experiences, and have different knowledge bases and skills. As we’ve state before, that’s not a weakness; that’s a strength.
The SUN values and welcomes diversity of opinion and aims to provide an open forum for discussion of issues that are important to those in our community and who care about our community.
We don’t need to be mad that others have different opinions than us, and we don’t need to stick our heads in the sand or our fingers in our ears to avoid hearing them. Instead, we should be willing to understand how others feel. We might learn something, we might just agree to disagree but have a little more understanding about how they feel, or we might find an opportunity for a meaningful conversation.
Randi Pierce
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