Out of the 5 Olympic Games I have been alive to witness, I have never truly paid attention to the most competitive, powerful, and utterly beautiful event to ever occur. It wasn't until the Rio 2016 Olympic Games that I genuinely understood and felt the immense mental, physical, and emotional strength these athletes possess in order to compete for one of the most rewarding prizes: to prove their athletic capabilities. And boy, did the American Olympic team win me over.

Right out of the gate, watching the Opening Ceremony was one of the most astonishing moments of pure unity; every country received their moment to shine, to represent who their country is, and to make them proud. Despite all of the chaos, danger, and terror that has completely inundated our world in recent times, it's comforting to know that as a nation, we can bond together as one, and work toward a shared goal: to achieve excellence, to the best of our ability. I began to notice the things that harshly separate us as countries (religion, race, cultural background) slowly disappeared, as each person was looked at only as an individual.

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I suppose that I never was interested in watching the Olympics, as I mistakenly thought that it was just a means to show off how better you were at a given skill than your opponent, but I was quite wrong.

During the past week or so, I have learned that the Olympics are so much more than a heated competition against your rivals, it's a chance to show your country the product of the arduous amount of physical, mental, and emotional exertion it took to train for this event. It's a way to test the limits of one's strength, endurance, agility, speed, etc., in order to continually create the best version of themselves. It depicts the significance of relying on a team to care, nurture, and mentor you during times of joy or trial. It's visually seeing your goals achieve fruition, and breaking barriers that you never thought were possible. It's battling the pressure of the world's eyes on your every move, and thriving in the face of extreme adversity.

It's symbolizes the importance of picking yourself up off of the ground when you fall, and rising back up to claim your victory.

It's proving to yourself that you are capable of anything you set your heart and mind to, even if fatigue and defeat tell you otherwise.

Seeing the proud and loving faces of the Olympians families moved me to tears. To know that no matter the outcome of the Games, each athlete is still incredibly loved, gifted, and important. Having all of the athlete's hard work pay off, and to see the flag being raised as a symbol of persistence, preparation, and heart is truly a beautiful sight to witness.

It's about each Olympic athlete writing their own story line of success or failure, and having a lifetime ahead of them to relish in the glorious memories.

I cannot wait to watch more stories unfold.