"Something has changed within me, something is not the same..."

 

Soz huns to have been away for such a long time but I have been holding space for “Defying Gravity” lyrics and it’s TOTALLY eaten right into my spare time, you know how it is. 

 

(Hehe, current TikTok/pop culture reference there…I am cool and I’m down with the kids…and I am cool, really, I am…and I’m definitely not old even though I’m nearly thirty…oh that’s happening soon…really really soon actually…oh god I am old, and I am so very uncool…)

 

*Ahem*

 

ANYHOOOOOOOOOO.

 

Wicked has, single handedly, defrosted the enormously insufferable theatre kid who has lived inside of me since the very first time I saw the Lion King twenty years ago and you know what, I am as here for this resurgence as I am Mariah and Buble making their annual reappearance during the festive period- I’m a big fan.

 

I’ve seen the movie twice now and let’s be real, I’ll be seeing it on the big screen again within the next week (I’m getting withdrawal symptoms already) Oh and I’ll be going again when the sing along version comes out too- although thoughts and prayers to the person sitting next to me when I belt Cynthia’s new spicy ending to ‘The Wizard and I’.

 

I love musicals. I love movies. So, a movie musical is pretty much my version of a dog hearing “do you wanna go walkies” and let me tell you, I’ve practically “zoomied” into the cinema on both occasions of seeing it. I’m not here to write a review or a plea to go and see it but I will say this- it’s one of the best movie musicals of all time, best movie of the year (you can have your opinion…but, its wrong xoxo), the soundtrack is next level, choreography is something else and the sets are pure magic. Jon M Chu is the ONLY person who should direct musicals for screen from now until the end of time, Ariana is, surprisingly, a comedic delight and the most perfect Ga/Glinda, *THAT* cameo is perfection, the whole cast are wonderfuland Cynthia is just otherworldly and beyond talented, deserves ALL the claps. And breathe. 

Oh, and Jonathan Bailey has no business being that sexy, alluring and then being gay…what on earth did men do to deserve him? He even had chemistry with the fucking books.

But I’m not here to sell it (even though I probably just have to those of you who were thinking about going to see it and…you’re most welcome). No no, I’m here because my brain can’t watch something nice, enjoy it like a normal person and then move on and continue with my life- instead, I hyper fixate on it, let it burrow inside my mind, dive into every nook and cranny thinking about it, daily (god I do need help, don’t I?) allow it to fully consume me and then eventually inspire/irritate myself enough that I then HAVE to write about it as it takes up so much space in my skull that it wants to burst…thanks brain, u da best.

 

(A RiRi in my brain: “WAIT…Ri, before you get on your high horse and link parts of the fictional plot to an unfortunate reality you are assuming that everyone who reads this (all 4 people, including Mum) have seen Wicked the Musical?”

Another RiRi in my brain: “Oh yeah good point, not everyone is as obsessive as you”

RiRi 1 “Give them a little run down of the plot ‘sitch and then giddy up girl, dissect away like the English literature student you should have been all those year ago”

RiRi 2 “Oh yeah, imagine if you’d actually applied yourself and put as much effort into coursework as you do in your writing now…”

Me RiRi “Huns, don’t do us publically like that…although you do have a point, on both things…if Mr. Morgan could see us now…”)

 

A very brief description of Wicked the Musical by Rianna Ellis:

 

“A quirky twist on the beloved classic, “The Wizard of Oz” two witches, Elphaba and Glinda (who we all know as The Wicked Witch of the West and The Good Witch of the South) start as college roommates with wildly different personalities. Their friendship evolves amidst political intrigue, challenging the perceptions of “good” and “evil” in Oz”. 

 

(All RiRI’s: “That was actually pretty fucking good- insert sassy hand emoji”).

 

I’ve let my thoughts simmer for a little while with this one though, as a lot of feelings did muster up, and to be honest with you it would have been an incoherent mess if I’d written sooner (bold of me to assume that any of my writing is anything other than that but, we roll) but one of the loudest thoughts is this one-

 

What makes you different is also what makes you powerful. And we must OWN. IT.

 

Elphaba is green. She is different. She doesn’t fit in. She has magical powers, real ones at that, and the very things that make her magical are the things the world tells her to hide, change or “fix”. 

 

That is until the powers in Oz understand they can use her for their own personal gain so they then reward, highlight, compliment, even love her (which, is what she wants…to be accepted and seen not as the oddball/weirdo/outcast…totally fair by the way, we don’t really like being the odd ones out you know!) all while hoping she’ll fall into their hands and become something they can control, regulate and take advantage of. But her authenticity and truthfulness in doing “the right thing” becomes increasingly dangerous to a corrupt Wizard and co and they turn her into the villain. 

 

The same ability that makes her invaluable to them makes her almost impossible to contain.  She rejects the one thing she truly wants because its coming from a dishonest, immoral and WICKED gifter. She absolutely could choose to stay, after all Glinda, her best friend, does (more on her later), to do what is expected of her just like she always has done, staying would give her the acceptance she had always craved, wanted, needed. She knows all of this. And yet, she chooses to fly. She knows now what her truth looks like, and even though no one else likes the reality of her truth, she knows that denying it will destroy her. 

 

And it will destroy us every single time too.

 

Now, this isn’t me saying that I think I’m Elphaba. I’m very aware I haven’t taken down a political charlatan (yet) nor have I created the most cinematic shot of 2025 by flying on a broom into a sunset like a superhero (also yet).  But, I would like to think I have some glimmers of her strength, power and a strong sense of justice inside me though- actually, I do genuinely have a really tricky time digesting and “swallowing” people doing morally wrong things, across the whole line of it. And I have isolated and removed myself many times from people, things, places that don’t sit well on my moral compass. And I definitely have lived through the soul-destroying realisation of the inauthenticity and shady practices of positions I once dreamed about holding/ from people I idolised.

 

But I also know I could be more ‘Elphaba’. I wantto be more ‘Elphaba’.

 

We love to think of Elphaba and Glinda as counterparts, especially in the Wizard of Oz, but really, to me anyway, they are two sides of the same coin. The represent the duality in all of us. We’ve all had an ‘Elphaba’ moment (some more than others)- struggling, misunderstood, unrecognised, fighting against the odds. And we’ve all been a ‘Glinda’ (again, some more than others). Popular, adored, propped up on a pedestal and then ending up standing in the spotlight with a big choice to make. Do we remember where we came from or ignore the past that shaped us? 

 

Glinda isextremely flawed. As is Elphaba. But Glinda’s choices, especially as the story progresses, are just plain wrong. She uses her niceness in a ‘performative way’, carefully crafted to gain popularity with others and to create this false image of who she truly is as she struggles to do truly ‘good’ things if it will cost her her personality. 

 

But, in so many ways, she is most of us. As I said, we like to envision ourselves as an Elphaba, it takes an astonishing sense of courage and strength to do what’s right in the face of adversity, especially when you have so much to lose. Glinda is, admittedly, a victim in the fascist regime that takes over, however… she, herself, decided to stay. 

 

Because she thought it would benefit her.

 

Does it make her a villain? No. But it does make her weak, cowardly and complicit in an unfair system.

 

In both the “real world” and the “dancing world” (soz for my dancing muggle readers, I’ll get you up to speed though- really quick, exactly the same shit show) we are facing unprecedented times of unjust, divisiveness and turmoil. 

 

‘Wicked’, and after an extensive Google deep dive, L. Frank Baum’s ‘The Wizard of Oz’ book, are political satires. The latter written in 1900 and the other in 1995 yet, still so heartbreakingly relevant to today’s world. Wicked is about a charlatan who tricks a land full of people into believing he is godlike and superhuman. Through fear and hate he creates a ‘common enemy’ to unite all the people (quote- “The best way to bring folks together is to give them a real good enemy”.) He strips away minorities rights and takes away their voices and eventually, removes them. And when a capable woman rises up to defy him, he paints her into this evil witch and persecutes her. Sound familiar?

 

Now, for most of us, we are merely a speck of insignificance to the ‘main players’ in both worlds and again, their actions and choices don’t always “directly” affect us. And I guess, with this, we have the luxury- like Glinda, of being able to step aside, “wait and see” or even try to work within the system that has been thrust upon us. We can take a step back because of privilege- and it’s a privilege we forget day in, day out. What Elphaba does is an extreme risk and unbelievably brave and goes against our natural instinct of ‘self-preservation’ but it’s necessary. And it’s what we should ALL aspire to do in situations where we can make a stand, where we can make a difference…or even a least try to. It made me feel genuinely uncomfortable to think that maybe my reality is that I can sometimes lean to being more like Glinda for fear of being ostracised or punished for my political view, in both life and dancing.

 

People, not all, but a fair whack do turn you into a villain because you don’t agree with their opinion. Then there are others who shame you just because you did use your voice. Then comes the campaign to attack your character with the intent to scare you into submission all while making it seem like you’ll lose everything and everyone. I’ve experienced both of these in a multitude of situations, where even people who I thought were dear friends turned on me and decided to use me as a scapegoat to put themselves “above” and keep me “in my place”.

 

So, when tears were literally STREAMING down my face at the end of the movie (well the eye taps were turned on, full blast, from the first note of the first song “No One Mourns the Wicked” to be completely factual- told ya, I’m a big musical theatre girlie at heart hehe) it wasn’t only because the film is visually a treat, or that the songs are a literal sucker punch to the soul OR because Cynthia and Ariana’s cosmic pairing is one of the best things the world will ever get to witness (totally understand why so many tears all press junket now by the way). It was because I deeply understood the strength and nerve it takes to say no to what you thought you wanted, who you thought you wanted and to stand in your own truth even when others very much disagree with you. 

 

Most of us have had to walk into rooms like Elphaba does at the ‘OzDust Ballroom’, a room we have been invited into as the ‘entertainment’ and instantly felt the stares, the snickers, the catty comments muttered under hushed tones. I can remember once attending a dancing event where I was told by my “friends” who I went with- who are much bigger fish in the pond than I am dahhhhhhling (you’re actually just more willing than I am to pump money into the system but you carry on babs), that I couldn’t sit next to them in the 2^ndrow because it “goes in like a ‘rank order’ Ri, so…move back”- which turned out to be total bollocks by the way, they had just created this dancing caste system inside their own synthetic opulent minds to make themselves seem more important than they actually are. But we’ve readjusted our pointy hats, raised our heads high, held back tears and shown the room we intend to stay. We’ve watched bystanders who we assume would speak up or have our backs, because we’ve always supported them, remain silent.

 

This isn’t a call for sympathy, because I know so many others- in both worlds, have it so much harder than I could ever dream about. This is a piece to share how fiction transcends just being on screen, how the ‘Land of Oz’ is much closer to the place there is no other like. We live as these characters. Reality and fantasy forever intertwine as one and that’s what makes moments like this film’s release even more magical. 

 

Wicked has always had the ability to be relatable, but mainly to those fortunate enough to see the show. With the worldwide cinematic release, it has allowed the story to be seen and felt by a whole new audience, in a whole new way.

 

Disabled people see themselves in it. LGBTIQ+ see themselves. Women, of all races, see themselves. The outcasts, the nerds, the weirdo’s, the neuro- divergent…everyone can find a piece to hold in their heart. Its more than a movie, it feels like the most cathartic experience since Barbie. The point of this film is for people to feel seen. If we could all learn and take with us the lessons from the movie into our own worlds, we’d be living in much better versions of them. 

 

So, here’s to the Elphaba’s of the world- those who speak up, stand out and stay fierce and true to themselves, even when the world doesn’t quite understand why. We keep fighting, we keep shining. We aren’t ‘wicked’, we are ‘heroic’- and I for one, will continue letting my inner Elphaba defy gravity.

 

Now, what ice cream do you want as we’re in the interval now getting ready for part two…we’ve got 11 months so chop chop and decide, we going Vanilla or Chocolate?

Leçons apprises...

 

 

So, we’re all feeling the effects of a comedown of this year’s Olympics being over, right?  I won’t lie, getting out of bed before 10am has been an absolutely mammoth task knowing I won’t be watching high jumpers, hockey or horses dancing whilst munching on my crumpets. The Paralympics can’t come quick enough babs, I NEEEEEEEED to see superheroes on my tele ASAP. And not of the Marvel/DC kind because my Google search history of “Hugh Jackman in Deadpool & Wolverine final scene” is verging on obscene…but that’s for another day. If you know, you know.

 

I’m always a fan of the Olympics right, but this year I fully unlocked super fan status- I imagine I’m the equivalent to a “Swiftie” now (Taylor Swift die-hard fans for the older demographic who read my blog, hiya huns!). Maybe it was because I didn’t have to get up at 3:27am to watch Tom Daley somersault 10 metres down this time (cheers Tokyo & Rio’s time zone differences), was it the “tres belle” backdrop that Paris so beautifully provided throughout the entirety of the games or could it be the fact that Clare Balding is the absolute tits of a presenter and hooks you in with those dulcet tones of hers? 

 

Or was it, that for the first time (aging, wisdom and all that) I was truly able to appreciate it for what the Olympics, at its heart, is. The coming together of people- of all ages, races & genders, who have a dream. Gosh, I’m welling up again (that’s literally all I did for those two weeks…oh and find the hot swimmers Instagram pages obvs).

 

After a hideous couple of weeks here in the UK with the news channels and feeds being flooded with horrific, vile, heart-breaking updates daily, the Olympics truly restored my faith in the world and mankind. It has shown us fantastic sporting moments of course, across every single discipline (even the Breakdancing, 'Raygun' included…just about) the talent that they all possess is just otherworldly. But I think, and more importantly I believe, they showed us what being human means. 

 

So, it got me thinking, and I think my fingers have been desperate to tap away at my keyboard again, what did I learn in those two weeks? What have I remembered long after that flame went out? (Thank God Leon Marchand made it back to that stadium by the way, I was worried for a bit that he'd got lost). Without further ado, here’s the list (that no one asked for) LADIES AND GENTLEMAN… 

 

“Life Lessons from the 2024 Olympic Games”.

 

1.    Focusing on the wrong person can make you not realise what’s passing you by.

 

One of the most nail biting (and slightly cringe inducing to be fair-who knew male runners could be so sassy to each other!) moments of this year’s games was the men’s 1500 metres event. The battle was set, Josh Kerr vs. Jakob Ingebrigtsen- back and forth on who is “the best” for so many years, or so the VT said, and it all came down to this final showdown of the season. They’d trash talked each other in interviews, they were giving each other the classic “psyche outs” on the track, and for them, they were the only two people who were taking home Gold and Silver that evening…that was until the American, Cole Hocker, came up on the inside for the last 70 metres and, well, for want of a better term, kicked their cocky little asses. He saw the two of them only have eyes for each other (aweee cute) and he took the opportunity to push past them both to the most incredible victory…fortune favours the bold in real time.

 

And it got me thinking, how many times have I been so laser focused on one thing or one person that I’ve let a million-other thing slip by. In today’s world, we’re always chasing someone or something, we’re making everything and everyone disposable, thinking that there is better, grass greener vibe- that we never slow down to see what we do have is actually quite great already. I know I’ve missed out on so many opportunities and amazing people because I’ve been so “tunnel vision” on, what tends to be in my experience, the wrong things (or him’s!). So, thanks boys for reminding me to check what and who is around me before I end up losing my own race again next time.

 

2.    Red lipstick is for EVERYTHING.

 

Now we all know I LOVE a red lip but I didn’t know that I shared this love with my new girl crush (and freshly crowned bronze medallist, yes queen) Ilona Maher. She wore her red lipstick on the rugby field to break the stereotype of “rEAl GIrLs dOnT pLAy rUGby”- ughhhh. By wearing her signature red lip, it was the Maybelline Matte Ink Liquid Lipstick by the way, she smashed through the sexist comments and showed that she wears lipstick because it makes her feel good. It doesn’t take away how well she plays, runs, hits and it’s a great, big, F YOU to the standards of what is typically thought of as a man’s sport. Proving once again that anything men can do, we can do too. 

Ilona has been the most incredible beacon of light for women to feel good about themselves and the way they look and has used her platform for good...and for bants too. If you aren't following her on instagram, what are you doing with your life? She gave the ULTIMATE comeback to a troll mocking her for not looking "feminine" and "questioning" if her BMI put her into the overweight or obese category by saying "I do have a BMI of 30...Alas, I'm going to the Olympics and you're not". I hope that troll had some cold water nearby to help his fresh, new BURN !!!! 

A red lipstick, for me, is like putting on a superhero cape. I feel like I can take on the world when I have a rouge shade painted on and its new Olympic stamp of approval makes me even more proud to be a part of the “Red Lip Brigade”.

 

3.    Prioritising our mental health is the best thing we can ever do.

 

SIMONE BILES. SIMONE FREAKING BILES. WHAT A WOMAN. The talent, skill and all-round GOAT energy (“Greatest of All Time”- I got you boomers) she has is a sight to be seen. We’ve all known since Rio that the name Simone Biles would go down in history as one of the greatest gymnasts of all time and now her 11 Olympic medals and 30 World Championship medals make her the most decorated gymnast in history…and now is officially one of the greatest gymnasts, heck ATHLETES, of all time. Google says so. 

 

We saw the 19-year-old, fresh faced, baby Simone smash the 2016 games and the world fell in love with her…which is why our hearts broke for her in Tokyo in 2021 when she had “Twisties”- ‘a mental block that creates a dangerous disconnect between mind and body while gymnasts are airborne’. Now I don’t know about you, but that sounds fucking scary. That would be a frightening experience to go through for any gymnast, at any level, but for Simone she then had the weight of the world (specifically the keyboard warriors) calling her out for being weak, a loser, a failure, a disappointment when she decided to “pull out” and walk away from the competition. She decided that as much as the athlete side of her was important…the human being underneath was worth saving more. 

 

She looked after herself and was brave enough to come away from a situation that was going to kill her- she’s said herself that if she had done the vault that she was meant to do she probably would have died or at best, been very seriously injured. 

 

Simone then proved at this year’s games that the comeback is always stronger than the setback. She went home with three golds and a bronze…and more importantly her mental health being back to a strong, stable, happy, healthy state. And she gave a shout out to her therapist too (some of y'all should take that as the one piece of advice from the blog you take...GO TO THERAPY).

 

As much as we have made great progress over the years, talking about “Mental Health” is still a bit of a taboo topic and so many people are quick to judge and make unkind comments about people who are openly sharing their struggles with their own brains. Had Simone have broken her leg in Rio the internet would have been flooded with “Get well soon babe” well wishes (and probably a fair few “if she was a real athlete she’d still compete” type messages too- hey the internet is crazy) but a broken brain…suddenly she’s an attention seeking, spoilt, lazy fake. We need to do more, speak up more, be there more for the people who are brave to speak out, and to show that the ones who haven’t quiet found their voice yet that people do care. We do take it seriously. We do believe you. We’re supporting you.

 

Taking a break isn’t a bad thing but letting yourself get to breaking point is. 

 

4.    Sportsmanship is a rarity.

 

Having been in a “competitive” world since before I was born (Mum did a competition when I was still chilling in the womb…and we won, obvs) I have experienced my fair-share of competitions over the years and after watching these games…I’m shooketh to my core (“horrified” for anyone still reading over the age of 18). The respect, kindness and support we’ve seen over the last two weeks puts about 95% of dancers to shame. It’s an ICK to be a dICK. The humanity the Olympians have shown to each other is what makes them golden. Now don’t get me wrong, there was a few rotten apples in the “Five Rings Tree” but most of them got their comeuppance anyway- Karma’s GPS system got her to Paris safe and well.

 

It was the moments like Simone and Jordan bowing down to Rebecca when she won her gold, the Brazilian handball player who helped carry off her opponent after she had a knee injury. The Italian high jumper who, after not having such a good day himself, ran over to help massage the cramp of his biggest competitor. And who can forget the moment when Hayden Wilde had just been literally “pipped to the post” by our Alex Yee in the Men’s Triathlon event but still found it in him to give him a hug and help him move over out of the way for the other finishing athletes. The smiles, the nods, the claps, the hugs, the cheers, the handshakes, the “congratulations” shared are the real moments worth their weight in gold. 

 

Yet in our “dance world” you’re met with the death stares, catty and smarmy Instagram posts, snarky comments and teachers teaching their kids to act the same way! 

 

Now, don’t get me wrong and before I get the “iTs nOT aLl DAncErS” comment I want to make it clear that I know it’s not ALL DANCERS. I know many kind, supportive and friendly dancers in this industry but…it’s enough dancers. Enough dancers who do behave in un- sportsman like ways which puts another dark cloud looming over our industry. And maybe another reason why Ballroom and Latin dancing wouldn’t go to the Olympics…there isn’t a scoring section for “Bitching” (hehe).

 

So this one is a reminder for those dICKS that do wanna be a Derick/Debbie Downer at the comps- be polite, say well done, throw a few claps out every now and again oh and put a smile on those miserable faces…it really isn’t that hard huns. TRUE WINNERS CHEER EACH OTHER ON. 

 

5.    Rumours spread like wildfire.

 

One of the most controversial moments of the 2024 games was the utter take down of Algerian boxer Imane Khelif. After her Italian opponent abandoned her fight with Imane due to “never being punched so hard” the internet proceeded to turn Khelif into public enemy number one. Trans rumours started to swirl the social media feeds and before we knew it she was this unbeatable, testosterone ridden monster who was a man (funny how no one accused her of being a man back in 2021 when she lost in the quarter finals to an Irish boxer…weird hey?). 

 

JK Rowling, Elon Musk and Piers Morgan- the unholy trinity- were at the helm of spewing the fake information around the internet and before we knew it Facebook feeds were full of memes, hate speech and transphobic comments, nice one dickheads. In the age where information can spread like wildfire we need to remember to do our own “fact checking’ first and remember the power of our words and the messages we share!

 

I made a pact to myself a few years ago that I would never say anything about anyone that I wouldn’t say to their face...with a megaphone. And I have stuck to that pledge to this day…could be why I only have about 6 friends though…hmmmm…anyway, moving on…

 

Maybe that’s something we could try to remember: just because we are hidden behind a keyboard or phone, it doesn’t mean that our words stay in hiding. There is time to pause before we post, share or say something and we never know who we might hurt on the other end.

OH and side note- Imane is going to sue JK Rowling and Elon Musk! Get em girl!

 

6.    Age is nothing but a number.

 

As someone who is rapidly approaching a “big birthday” I am definitely feeling not so okay with aging. And by “not so okay” I mean, literally can’t stand it, want to cry, beat the system and stay 29 forever more. I regularly feel “behind”, “wasted potential” and to be honest, a little bit of a failure. I don’t own a house, I haven’t got a fancy ring on that all-important finger, I’m a childless spinster and in terms of work…I’m alright at my job. Could be better, could be a whole lot worse (see number 4). There is a Sylvia Plath quote that sums up my feeling far more eloquently than this Essex girl ever could and it’s:

 

“What horrifies me most is the idea of being useless: well- educated, brilliantly promising, and fading out into an indifferent middle age”.

 

Offfftttt, god she was good wasn’t she.

 

But that’s how I feel, a good few times a week.

 

However,

 

Watching the Olympics, it reminded me that we’re never too old to chase our dreams (whatever they may be). There was the British skateboarder, Andy Macdonald, who at 51 made his Olympic debut- he said even though he was among the low-ranking finishers in the competition he still considers himself a winner. There was the Canadian equestrian, Mario Desluriers, who after a 33-year gap came back at 59 to try and win a medal. Then there was the internet’s “Table Tennis Grandma”, Zeng Zhiying, who was 58 at her first Olympics. 

 

It made me see that I’m not “over the hill” just yet and turning 30 isn’t a death sentence on dreaming. Don’t get me wrong, I’m under no disillusion that I’ll be at the Olympics in my 50’s (I’m aiming for my debut in 2028 by the way) but I can still dream a new dream, whatever that may be…I’m not counting myself out just yet and maybe a new dream would do me good.

If you’ve made it this far you deserve your own gold medal so well done to you- your award is my “Top 10” less preachy, off my soap box, lessons learnt:

 

1.The Swimming Pool is where I will probably find my dream man 

(Hello tall, handsome, ABSolutely incredible men).

 

2. I get emotional watching people do well.

 

3. I get emotional watching horses do well. 

(Their little noise defending hats, too much cuteness)

 

4. I’m really annoyed that my mother didn’t put me into an Olympic style sport as a child because I’ve had major FOMO.

 

5.There is such a thing as too big. 

(French High Jumper. That’s all.)

 

6. Snoop Dogg is still the man. And he wears Equestrian gear very well.

 

7.    Maybe it’s just Italian male dancers that are creeps & cheats not Italian men in general.

 

8. Sometimes a nap really is the best thing in the world.

(Ukrainian high jumper + her sleeping bag = ICONIC)

 

8.    The shooter from Turkey is a secret agent and I won’t be told otherwise.

 

10. Changing your Tinder location to the address of the Olympic Village is the greatest thing one can ever do. 

(I’ve collected Swimmers, Volleyballers & Rowers like my life depended on it)

 

But I think my favourite moment from the Olympics was when Fred Sirieix was talking with his daughter, Andrea Spindilini- Sirieix, after she hadn’t got herself on to the medal podium. He said something to her that will stay with me for a very long time so I’ll leave you with his words:

 

“It’s sport. Some days you win and some days you lose…You did your best Andrea…It wasn’t meant to be…So proud of all that you do”.

 

The most fitting reminder that even if we try our best, sometimes things don’t work out the way we want them to…and that’s okay. Because we are worth more than our sports, more than our jobs, more than what people think of us, more than our achievements, more than our wins and definitely more than our losses.

 

We have witnessed such pure joyfulness and love this Olympics and we need to take this away with us. We’ve been inspired, encouraged and hope has filled our homes for those two weeks. For a brief moment, we were reminded of how much good there is in this world and what happens when we all come together. Bring on the Paralympics where we fall in amour all over again.

 

Merci Beaucoup Paris and Merci Beaucoup Olympians, c’ etait magique! xoxo