Olympic pointers to enchantment

I still have this hoodie from 20 years ago ! Go Team Canada !!

February 2006. I was working as a psychiatrist in New-Brunswick, Canada. I was fianlly an attending physician working independently. It felt scary and wonderful, like a good roller-coaster at an amusement park. In parallel to my ''grownup doc'' duties, including inpatient care, 24-h call, crisis interventions in the emergency room (for adults and teens( etc, I was also studying for my board exams for the Royal College. A thick binder to read, with quizzes, sample questions... A very ebullient phase for my young and knowledge-thirsty brain. I remember the bliss I felt from devouring the winter Olympics. Ski, figure skating, luge. Watching athletes perform so divinely and longing for a life of such dedication to an activity helping me to reach the limits of the human body provided not only a blissful vicarious experience but a reward system for the discipline of my study material review. Even though I was living alone (and had a long distance relationship with my freshly married husband), I didn't own a house, I was walking to work and I was not surrounded by all my antique stuff (I was occupying a rental provided by the hospital that hired me), it was one of the happiest times of my life. Right now, looking back, just like I did so frequently at this consciousness I had of the contentment I was in back then, I have some clearer hypotheses as to why.

As a very early career psychiatrist, I was still learning and my duties were part of a relatively uncomplicated role. Unlike now, two decades later, there was not such a big accumulation of emails, titles, expectations. My mind was free to socialize, dream, build my future. Freedom is one of the core ingredients, obviously. I was married but technically alone on a daily basis, spared of the tiring constant negotiation that comes with matrimony. Also, I still had the certainty of a good night sleep, since I was not yet pregnant. 

And now that I am watching the winter Olympics with a renewed emotion, in complete awe of what the human body and determined spirit can accomplish (and, I will admit, because some of the European athletes have beautiful names that sound like my sons'), I can add the other prerequisite to happiness: enchantment. Athletes sacrifice their youth for the whole world because they embody the divine. They symbolize enchantment and offer various opportunities to experience, as inspired observers, how good it feels to connect with it. Their role is essential because I believe trauma's main power lies in its interference with our birthright propensity to enchantment. Therefore, healing from life's trauma and adversity is a re-enchantment process. And the athletes keep reminding us of the need to make room for magic.

So, the Olympics are more therapeutic than I ever thought. I can spend hours glued to my screen to cry the same tears of joy and disappointment of these dedicated athletes, regardless of their country (ok, I admit, I have a special heart for my Canadian fellow citizens). I feel a sudden urge to move my body like them and be active. I am reminded that my trail running days have given me a sense of the possibilities they can access. I got back to running after a 2-mo hiatus, thanks to my very motivated Bibi who just started to train for track & field. And this enchantment, this activity of moving boost this freedom !

This afternoon, I am a bit bummed that there is another conflicting event today (the SuperBowl). I can't stand being in front of the TV for that long, so I am multitasking at the moment, blogging while not being able to follow the trajectory of this almond-shaped ball on a field that is saturated with producers of testosterone (because my mind cannot follow a game when everything and everyone moves in too many different directions. Plus, all I can do is comment about the level of violence from football and the unfortunate brain injuries that are very frequent outcomes). But at least the halftime show was very good and energezing. And I had guessed it correctly apparently: it was a real wedding ! More enchantment !!

What do Olympic games and athletes do for you ? And how are you planning on increasing your freedom and enchantment indexes ?