2.7 Seconds

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competitors, dedication, doing, every sport is a head sport, focus, meditation, Olympics, spiritual practice, sync, talking, The Sophia Center for Spirituality

I’m thinking this morning about something I heard last night while watching the Olympic men’s synchronized diving competition. One of the commentators mentioned that the dive just completed had taken 2.7 seconds to execute. Yes, that dive from a height of 30 meters that included at least two – or probably three – somersaults and maybe a twist before reaching and knifing through the water head first in a vertical position that caused very little splash took less than three seconds. Oh, and it was done by two men whose movements mirrored one another nearly – if not totally – perfectly.

As I reflect on all the things that could possibly happen to throw the two men “out of sync” during those 2.7 seconds, I wonder at their determination and willingness to continue to practice that dive over and over again, sometimes for years, to win a medal at the Olympics. Most of the competitors are young and some of them are reduced to tears whether they find they have won or lost, because of their work, of course, but also because of their dedication to their sport and the support of those who have cheered them on over the years. I learned a long time ago that “every sport is a head sport” because if the competitor’s mind is not engaged and focused before, during and after the event, there is no chance that her/his body will cooperate at the crucial moment.

Thinking about this causes me to wonder why I spend more time talking about the need for more mindful spiritual practice on the part of people who understand the benefit of such activity both personally and for the raising of world consciousness to higher good than I spend on actually doing the practices. What a wake-up call! I bow this morning to the athletes as I move to my mat for meditation.