Around the Bluhmin’ Town

By

Judy Bluhm

Does a gold medal matter? And if you try your best, showcase your art and have fun, is that the formula for true success and happiness? I know I wrote last week about the Olympics, but then the ice skater Alysa Liu came along and changed the conversation about the pressure of sports and the quest for winning.

What’s the takeaway from a stupendous comeback? Liu was a child prodigy winning championships by age thirteen. She placed sixth in the medal contention at the 2022 Winter Olympics. Maybe she took a close look at the drama unfolding for the top three Russian skaters, with a doping scandal and then the women’s silver medalist screaming, “I will never skate again,” after her loss of gold.

So, then at age sixteen, Liu retired to the shock (and dismay) of her family, coaches and fans. This sport demands consistency, commitment, constant practice. Not a “spring break” to enjoy family, focus on school, friends and other teenage pursuits. She said she needed a mental health break.

While enjoying time with friends while on a skiing trip, it occurred to Liu that she needed more challenges in her life. When she contacted her coaches, they were shocked. Skeptical. She was out of shape. She got back on the ice and fell often. But through it all, she insisted on her own choreography, her costumes, her choice of music, no dieting, her hair color and her rules. Because when it comes to art, it is the artist’s prerogative to create the masterpiece. Not the coaches.

Most of us will never aspire to stand on a podium and receive a gold medal. But there is evidence that starting over, making a comeback, pursuing a passion or achieving peak performance can be in anyone’s future. Age is not the constraint we might think it is, or only young people would be successful.

One of Frank Sinatra’s best hits, (I’ll Do It) “My Way,” seems to say something to each of us. Why be held back by someone else’s vision of who or how you should be? The real message here is that finding purpose and joy is something we can do at any time and at any age.

Grandma Moses started her painting career at age 78. Julia Child published her first cookbook at age 50. Ray Croc spent a career as a milkshake device salesman and was ready to give up before buying and franchising McDonald’s at age 52. Carmen Herrera was a Cuban painter and sculptor who made art for 70 years but sold her first piece at age 89. For millions. Laura Ingalls Wilder published her first “Little House” book at age 65.

You don’t have to be twenty years old to make a comeback or do something you love. On a trail ride, I met a woman who learned to ride at age 65 and got her first horse at age 70. She said she was happiest in the saddle.

Imagine life as one big ice rink. Coast. Take a leap. Fall. Get up. Twirl around. Have fun. No skates required. Just do it “your way.”

Judy Bluhm is a writer and a local realtor. Contact Judy at [email protected] or visit www.aroundthebluhmintown.com.