Celebrate Every Victory, No Matter how Small

This week, my wife, Mary, and I will celebrate our 48^th wedding anniversary. The week we were married in Cincinnati in 1973, her grandparents celebrated their 50^th wedding anniversary. Hard to believe that we are almost there!

On our tenth wedding anniversary, we were on a trip to Baden Baden, Germany, one of the most beautiful towns in the world. The maître d’hôtel of the restaurant found out it was our anniversary and gifted us a bottle of Chateau Haut Brion, an elegant French red wine. It was a very expensive bottle of wine, so, rather than drink it that night, we decided to save it for a very special occasion.

Over the next few decades as we moved around, we carried that bottle of wine with us, just waiting for the right moment to open it. The truth is, there were plenty of great occasions to celebrate during those years and open it, yet we never did. We just kept waiting for the right time.

Eventually, we ended up in the Keys and, for whatever reason, one evening, we decided to enjoy that bottle of Haut Brion. Upon opening it, we soon discovered that it had gone bad. What a shame. We poured it down the sink drain.

In life, we sometimes wait for the biggest moments to celebrate, when they happen nearly every day. Celebrate every time you can with a smile, a pat on the back, an atta’ boy or girl, or whatever is appropriate. Just celebrate.

Last week, I had the pleasure of watching hundreds of incredible athletes at our Olympic Trials. Only a few made the Olympic Team. Yet every single swimmer and coach there should have celebrated their success and honor of being there. Qualifying for the Olympic Trials is truly one of life’s greatest achievements.

Yours in Swimming,

Gary Sr.