A jump to inspiration

As the Games wear on, believe it or not, it is becoming more and more difficult to keep the torch burning. I'm not talking about the Olympic flame, I'm talking about the well of excitement that seemed so overwhelming the first week.
What was new is now becoming routine, and many journalists, myself included, have been talking about how to combat the feeling of a tremendously unique experience seeming like an everyday one.
We are all human and fall into what's comfortable. We understand the transportation system, know where to keep jazzed up on coffee, have established relationships with sources, and that's all fine and good if you can keep your perspective fresh and remain excited.
For me, the realization came from my mother via email. The charge was heavy.
"I thought you were going to cover 'all aspects' of the Olympics,' she wrote. She wanted more of a scene-setter, not just news about sports.
See that? Just when I thought I had this whole thing down like clockwork, I realize that lack of precision and slightly chaotic mode of being can be a good thing. I felt like a sponge full of water that was trying to soak up more.
Needing a jolt from the norm I took the bus to Pragelato to watch some ski jumping. I'm a huge fan of the sport, and was turned on to it two years ago when I spent the winter in Europe with my husband. Seeing it live and feeling the energy of the crowd was a good twist on what was becoming a one-track experience. Today, I'm heading back down to Torino to see the USA play Sweden in men's hockey.