13 days 12 hours

For those of you living in Chicago, you know what that number represents. For those of you living outside of Chicago, there are 13 days and 12 hours until the Olympic Committee makes its decision about who will host the 2016 Olympics.

What's interesting to me about this is I've lived in 2 of the possible host countries this year.

I do want to put out a disclaimer right now. I know many of you have differing opinions about hosting an Olypmic Games. I respect, appreciate and understand them. It is not the intention of this post to persuade your feelings, opinions, ect. Can you tell I'm an elementary teacher or that I'm from the U.S.?

I just to share a couple of videos with you. Chicago's Olympic bid video and Rio's Olympic bid video.

Maybe watching them will reinforce or alter your feelings.

Maybe you'll just enjoy the scenery.

Or maybe, like me on a Friday afternoon after a seriously long and hard week, you'll just be reminded of all of the potential in the world.

Here's Chicago's Olypmic Bid video
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_j148bSCngU&feature=related

Here's Rio's Olympic Bid video - oh and in the video, they're singing their unofficial song Cidade Maravilhosa (Rio's nickname, The Marvelous City)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z00jjc-WtZI

Both places, the cities, their countries have a lot to offer something like the Olympics and I know that from living in both. And on a Friday, when you feel run-down and tired and worn out, seeing the potential, is what makes looking past the weekend into next week okay. So whatever the Olympic Committee decides, it does, but these two videos today helped me to see something I'd lost.