Journey to Olympia: A Path of Discovery by Karma Pratt

The journey to Olympia is just as much a pilgrimage today as it was in ancient times. The Olympic games as we know them now originated over 2700 years ago, with the first organized games taking place as early as 776 BC*. Athletes from all over Greece traveled to the heart of the Peloponnese in order to compete for the honour of becoming a member of the Olympic elite. Foot races and wrestling matches were common place.

Did you know that, outside the main arena, there were also feats of mental and intellectual strength? The original Olympic games included exercising that muscle of voracious appetite, the brain. Gifted elocutionists presented arguments of logic and reason. Athens has been a hotbed of philosophic debate for millennia. It's not surprising that the Hellenic world valued the sport of engaging one's mind on the same level as exercising one's body. 

In June 2012 we had the great good fortune to be able to travel to Greece. Our stay in Olympia was memorable, although not necessary for the reasons traditionally associated with the Olympics. Ancient Olympia has become a tourist destination, that much is true. It feels... different, though, than what I expected. Located in the center of the Peloponnese, Olympia is unlike many iconic Greek locations in one important way: the city is not located on the seaside.

While other Grecian cities revolve around the ocean, Olympia is situated in the quiet heat, slow breezes and soft eucalyptus leaves of the interior. One benefit to being further inland is that there is not as much humidity. I was thankful for that. The day we toured the original Olympic grounds, the afternoon heat clocked in at 53° Celsius.

53°! Can you imagine competing in that heat? Or even being a spectator? As it was, we walked through the lush grounds of the historic site on a lazy June day. The heat was not stifling first thing in the morning, but still, it gave me the impression that a person could languish here if they succumbed to the temptation to curl up under the leafy green branches of the sweet smelling eucalyptus. Once you drifted away, you would enter into a never ending nap/dream/wake cycle. I imagined the dreams that were dreamed in this place. Hopes of athletes determined to bring honour to their home towns and family name; inspired everyday folk who made the pilgrimage to pay tribute to their roots and cheer for their hometown hero. I was inspired to begin dreaming my own dreams for victory in my life. 

There is a path leading to the main stadium where athletes would have entered immediately before competing in their race. Walking this pathway was a rite of passage. Life size statues of previous Olympian champions lined the foot path, marking the way for competitors. The statues stood as reminders to those who came next: Your race is your own. Strive to accomplish your personal best. Do so with honour and integrity. The Olympic games were as much about accomplishing a moral victory as a physical one.

We had an opportunity to walk through that archway onto the field of competition. We soaked in the history of the place, the energy of countless races fought and won, the celebrations and tributes, the honour awarded to participants. We sat in the shade of the ruins and listened to the stories of the ancients, brought to life by the remnants of memory carved from the earth, the stone. 

My impression of Olympia was one of unending peace  - quite a surprise compared to my expectation. I'm not certain what I expected? A testosterone-fueled, hyper masculine overdrive of competition? The grounds we wandered that day in June were very different. We were on hallowed ground. There was a tangible element of the sacred in every step. I'm certain the events of the past were electrifying beyond compare. The very nature of sporting events has a way of bringing out the competitive edge in everyone. Olympia, however, has left a legacy of honour, integrity and peace in its wake.

Karma Pratt is a faith-driven mom of twins, a communicator, a writer, and an encourager from way back. She offers professional writing and editing services at redraincoatcreations.com. 

Footnote: 

*http://www.cntraveller.com/recommended/amazing-journeys/journey-through-the-peloponnese/page/journey-to-olympia 

Photo Credits: Olympic Arch: http://www.greeka.com/peloponnese/olympia/  

Map: http://www.greeka.com/peloponnese/olympia/olympia-villages/olympia-ancient_olympia.htm 

A Just Weight - Gloria Guest

At a recent job interview I was asked to give my definition of integrity. What I said was, “Integrity to me is what I do when nobody is looking. It’s choosing to deal with a situation honestly, when there is nobody there watching.”

Although nobody is perfect, to me integrity is something that needs to be an integral part of who I am in every area of my life. It is not something to just put on and take off when I feel like it. I once had a Christian friend who was starting her own business, say to me that maybe she should think about developing some better ethics. But as Christians we are called to be ethical at all times, in all things.

 “A false balance is an abomination to the LORD, but a just weight is His delight. Proverbs 11:1

 During my times as a newspaper reporter/columnist, I have had numerous opportunities to choose to do something dishonest that nobody would know about. One of the temptations that comes to us is, ‘But you deserve it. You’ve worked so hard and your employer doesn’t treat you fair.” It’s true. Sometimes our employers, our editors, those who are above us, do not treat us fairly. Sometimes we can be treated with disrespect or taken advantage of.

When I was freelancing as a reporter/columnist I was paid by the word. My editor did not give me a word count, so I had free reign as to length. A longer column or story would of course give me more revenue. Often, after I deducted my gas and my time, I found I was making very little money an hour. Sometimes it was less than minimum wage. It would have been easy to decide to let my column and articles run on with extra words so I could earn more money. However, I knew that was not right. Due to working under another newspaper editor, I had learned to cut out unnecessary words, to be concise; in fact I knew that in a newspaper most people won’t read an article past five hundred words. So I let God direct my word count and my articles and columns were usually on the shorter side. I wasn’t making much money per word! However, my heart felt right and that was worth more than to me than gold.

“Better is a poor man who walks in his integrity than he who is perverse in speech and is a fool. Proverbs 19:1

However as Proverbs 11:1 states, God delights in a “just weight,” so He actually does want me to be treated fairly. That is why I felt it was okay to ask my employers to increase the amount that they paid me by word and to give me a gas allowance. Both of which they did. There are also other things I learned while reporting to help me to earn a living with my words, one of which was that as June 2010 it became the law for both parties in a freelance writing agreement to have a signed contract. This is beneficial for freelance writers as it protects their time and investment and also is helpful to the employer in knowing exactly what they can expect. It is just good business for all.

Soon I hope to be sending my writing out again for publication in various forms. I am thankful for my time spent in the Reporter trenches where I learned that as I go about the business of writing with integrity it is God ‘who gives the increase.’ I Cor. 3:6.

“As for me, You uphold me in my integrity, And You set me in Your presence forever.” Ps 41:12

Mr. Clean - Brenda J Wood

When my daughter met Mr. Clean, she jokingly asked him if he had a first name.

“Indeed,” he declared, “I do have a first name. It is Veritably.”

How odd is that? The dictionary defines Veritably as absolute so Mr. Clean could be introduced as 

‘Mr. Absolutely Clean.’

When I thought about this brilliant advertising concept, it occurred to me that perhaps we should apply it to this month’s topic, ‘Being Canadian.’

Try this quiz and see how you make out. Likely you can add a few questions of your own.

When I write, am I absolutely true to who I am as a Canadian? For instance, is my spell checker geared to a Canadian dictionary or have I switched to an American one because I expect Canadian publishers to swallow the spelling, while American ones will not?

Do I set my stories in Canadian cities or do I pretend that Toronto is really Las Vegas and scribble from that perspective?

What if a huge American book contract comes my way but they insist I take out every reference to Canada? Will the dollars speak louder than my history?

Do I fudge details by using south-of-the border statistics to impress my readers?

Even worse, would I shake up my integrity just a bit and ignore Biblical principles to file a story with slightly incorrect details?

Being Canadian surely must stand for more than wearing red and white on July 1^st.

How can I stand for Canada, remain true to myself and still catch the American market?

Is it possible?

You tell me.

Brenda J Wood

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