Courage.....Courage for our friends.

 When the night hours so far surpass the daylight hours that light seems but a memory, and the sun struggles to even bring its lower half into view, then you have arrived in the north country. The darkness is still rising, and the light is badly losing the battle- the winter solstice has not yet come, and still the sun graces the sky for fewer than six hours. It is brighter to ski under the stadium lights in the full darkness of afternoon than it is to ski under the sun at high noon. 

But when your goal is only to traverse forward as best you can, as fast as you can, and pause to be as precise as you can, the existence of natural versus artificial light is hardly relevant to the matter at hand. A matter of priorities that does not lend itself to being in warm, sunny places. 

Still, the darkness leaks into your soul. It lets out a silent, wailing cry when the dusk comes, as early as two, and then fades ever so slowly into blackness. By half past three, the sky is already dark as night. Though you may not realize your own personal attachment to the star that grants this planet life, it is there. And when you are limited in your ability to see it, hard are the days. 

But soon, as is the nature of life, the memory of darkness disappeared. We traveled south into warmer weather and longer daylight hours, delightful cuisine and cheaper goods. 

If you missed it, the greatest female American biathlete finished the race week with only one total trip around the penalty loop and an appearance in the flower ceremony. Slovenia is graced with a fast downhill range approach, one that lends itself to great shooting.  Susan is graced with courage, something that lends itself to amazing results. Combine these two forces and the result is obvious. 

Those who think these things don't matter did not witness the the electricity that arcs through US biathlon when we watch Susan triumph. They do not see how much an American smile in a flower ceremony inspires us all to go a little bit harder, dream a little bit bigger. What Kikkan did for the US Ski Team, Susan does for us- instilling the quietest of all attributes within us: belief. As ugly as the orange adidas uniforms are, as eye-shearing as the jackets are to behold, it is true what they say, a smile is all it takes to make a moment, a person, beautiful. 

So I bid you, my friends, go about your day with just a touch more courage. Be a little bolder, a little braver, dig a little bit deeper. Because I have witnessed the fierce courage of our very own American heroine. Without a sponsor, without the resources of the best financed teams, without a rollerski range at the place 4,000 miles away that she calls home, she put her fighter's heart into the race and came out victorious. 

I am late on these words, and we are already less than four hours to the next start, but I hope that they ring true again in this Slavic country that still bears the scars of the Soviet Union. Those that think there is no luck in this endeavor are fools, but there is little we can do to change our luck- but much we can do to be braver. 

Be brave!

-Joanne