It’s hard to believe that the Olympics are almost at an end.  It is already Day 15.  Soon the closing ceremony will be here and the torch will be extinguished and it’s all over.  Vancouver will be back to its old self with perhaps a wicked Olympic hangover.  It happens every time a city returns to normal after being the center of the sporting universe.  The life cycle of this event is extraordinary.  It’s like a rare moth cocooning for an extended period then it is born as an spectacular creature and within 17 days it dies.  But during those 17 days the entire world is touched by the things they see and experience and others are touched by the things they missed.  Of course we all shared in the triumph and tragedy of Joannie Rochette, who skated through her pain to a bronze medal after her mother died upon arrival in Vancouver.   Joannie will always be remembered for her courage and the legacy of inspiration she leaves behind.  We had a bit of a life altering experience on our team too.  One of our editors, John, came in yesterday morning all shaken up.  His wife had gone into labor the night before and gave birth to his first child, a son.  I suspect they rolled the dice thinking the baby would wait until he got home but he lost that bet.  Instead he gained an extended family who hugged him through his tears, offered him parenting advice and supported him while he worked through what must have been an incomprehensible roller coaster of emotions.  Just seeing him in the morning and hearing how he received the call on the train to work and sobbed all the way in got me all choked up.  I had to take a walk just to ponder the sacrifices that people make so they can be here.  Today I passed John in the hall.  “How’re you doing today?  Top of the world.  I’m a dad.  I’m happy.”  Soon John will meet little Aiden and I trust that someday he’ll have the first of many Olympic moments to share with his boy. 

For more information on Vicky Collins visit http://teletrendstv.com