I have not seen the Opening Ceremonies. I can't remember when I ever did watch them. It is not because I am boycotting the Olympics, but simply because we have never subscribed to cable or FIOS or whatever else has replaced the ON button and three channel options of my youth.
When I do watch my one show each week it
takes my preadolescent daughter fifteen minutes and a Morse Code of clicks to set it up. The routine is that Hope gets the computer poised for the episode and Aurelle prepares the ice cream treat. Then the three of us hunker down under the quilt I made expressly for this moment. It has thirty fabrics that I collected to remind us of past seasons of White Collar and Leverage: tow trucks, race cars, New York skyline, fedoras, chocolates, the American flag, hundred dollar bills. I was unable to
procure a print of either a high end safe or the Hope Diamond.
I did see a two minute clip of the fantastic helium filled balloons and gymnasts doing back flips. Probably the three grand that most people in the seats forked out to be there bought a lifetime of memories. Sure millions of spectators will enjoy it on their home screens, but being there is even more magical.
A Canadian friend sent an article from the January 13th issue of
Maclean's Magazine about marriage. It offered a large portion of pros for having an Opening Ceremony. One study included a test where women were subjected to random bursts of an electric shock. One group sat alone. Another group held the hand of a stranger. The third held the hand of their husband. The first group described the pain as extreme, and the second group only less so. The third group felt empathy from their spouse and called it "uncomfortable".
The
article specifically addressed the issue of cohabitation. Apparently the benefits of marriage- which are financial, emotional and medical- do not transfer well to people who simply move in together. I would give you a link but it was ... on paper.
The author quotes a Harvard Medical team as deeming happy marriage as "comparable to or better than chemotherapy" for treating cancer.
Another study cited was by Eli Finkel, who had a
slew of couples each spend twenty minutes writing about a recent argument they had engaged in with their spouse. In it they were to speak as a neutral third party who wanted the best for both people. He asserts that this simple exercise reaps more physical and mental rejuvenation than regular trips to the gym.
There are a couple of weddings I plan to get to this year. Probably the couple and their parents will spend a few grand to put on the ceremony. Maybe there
will be friends who watch on UStream but I bet being there will be even more magical.
