Carrying the Torch 578.5
In 2004, I had the honor to participate in the Olympic torch relay that began in Athens, Greece. I think I was selected to represent the spectacularly unfit.
I was told I would carry the torch about a quarter of a mile, so I prepared myself. I lost 10 pounds (sadly, a drop in the bucket), bought new running shoes, ran around the block a few times, and practiced holding up an Aim N Flame lighter in proper torch position.
At the assembly point, a fellow torchbearer told me I had been assigned the longest leg of the relay, nearly one mile. My jaw dropped, but he said not to worry. Easy for him to say. He regularly ran 20 miles a day; I hadn't run 20 miles in 20 years.
Lots of family and friends had come to watch my Olympic performance, and I took off so fast I almost ran into the media truck preceding the runners.
I began to gasp for air just a few hundred feet out. I knew I was in trouble when my 6- and 7-year-old daughters ran on the sidewalk in front of me cheering, “Come on, Daddy!”
Then my 8-year-old called me a wimp, and my adult son sprinted ahead of me, backwards, to take pictures. Only my wife and 10-year-old daughter had the decency to run at my pace and tell me I was doing great.
When I finally staggered to the hand-off point and passed the eternal flame to Ryan Seacrest (I didn’t know who he was then), I was simply glad I hadn’t passed out.
This is Michael Josephson reminding you that character counts.
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Comments
I've been a listener (on KNX) and a reader of your Character Counts commentaries almost from the beginning. I believe that in keeping with the "character" of the organization you should mention that you are repeating a commentary. I've been noting more and more how many commentaries you repeat.
Posted by: steve | August 8, 2008 8:49 AM
For the record, the Institute includes the following notice right after the commentaries on every Commentary e-newsletter:
"From time to time commentaries are repeated because of workload, timeliness of the material, or opportunities to introduce new readers/listeners to favorite oldies. We thank you for your understanding."
Michael is currently on a two-week vacation and we are running more backups than normal.
Posted by: Josephson Institute editor | August 8, 2008 9:48 AM
I am absolutely delighted to hear any of Mr. Josephson's words of wisdom. It doesn't matter if they are repeats. It's like reading a good book. Do you only read it once? God Bless you, Mr Josephson.
Posted by: Rose Gonzalez | August 9, 2008 1:29 PM
I enjoyed reading Michael's very funny recounting of this event and enjoyed his humor, but I must admit I finished reading it with the question: "And his point was?"
I admire Michael for his ability, usually, to point to some moral and ethical principle and to truly remind us that "Character Counts" in each of concise and incisive talks.
This one however didn't meet the usual high standard. Everybody deserves an off day, and NO, I am NOT going to unsubscribe to his talks because of this one.
What was the REAL reason he was invited to run the torch? "My 8-year-old called me wimp" -- Oh, is that okay? Isn't one of the six pillars, respect? Aren't we supposed to respect our parents? I realize that within the family, one can say the most disrespectful things and it isn't received or perceived as offensive because of the way it was said or the expression on the face of the speaker, etc. However, given that we only have (in my case) text on a page, which takes the comment out of its original context, it may appear that the 8-year-old was being very rude to her father and deserved some chastisement.
My point is that given the purpose of these commentaries - that comment "My daughter called me a wimp" sounded a false note in what normally is a very high quality production. I suppose like anything, when the quality is otherwise high, the "false notes" are more noticeable.
This is John F reminding YOU that character counts!
Posted by: John F | August 10, 2008 10:42 AM
I saw the article as being lighthearted and comical. It's possible, also, that the kid's "Wimp!" comment was lighthearted and comical (and loving).
Posted by: Purple Neon Lights | August 13, 2008 7:23 PM