USA. USA. USA.

The year was 1976. The bicentennial of the USA.  I was about to experience the Olympics and patriotism for the first time.  The 2024 summer games are around the corner, just in time for a cease fire from the heated political climate.

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Chapters

• 0:05 Reflections on Patriotism and Unity

Transcript

Joy: 0:05

stay tuned for bonus coverage at the end of this episode. Thanks for tuning in. This podcast is all about bringing joy through storytelling and conversation. I'll drop some thoughts on the life lessons I'm growing through. You'll be inspired and entertained. It'll be time well spent. I promise you, you that. So sit back and relax. Let's do this thing.

Joy: 0:32

The year was 1976, the bicentennial of the USA. I was eight years old. My love for competition and sport was already strong, but I was about to experience the greatest show on earth. No wait, that's a circus. I was about to experience the greatest show on earth. No wait, that's a circus. I was about to witness the world's greatest athletes competing in all kinds of sports, some I never heard of. Sign me up, mama, let's go. You guessed it I'm talking about the Olympics. But what I didn't know was beyond sports. I was about to experience patriotism for the first time. The USA was competing against the world Countries like the Soviet Union, china and Cuba, and lots of places I hadn't even learned about in school yet. My dad pulled out the atlas and showed me all the places on the world map.

Joy: 1:17

The whole family enjoyed watching the events together. Gymnastics, boxing, track and field were the ones I remember the most. Seeing American athletes like Edwin Moses, sugar Ray Leonard and Bruce Jenner. Remember him. Stand on the highest podium and receive a gold medal while the American flag rose slowly overhead and the national anthem played was awesome. Usa, usa, usa. How about you? What was your first Olympic memory? Summer games or winter games? Speaking of winter games, I remember me and my mama watching hockey in a room on a little black and white TV. During the 1980 Olympics, usa hockey team beat the Russians for the gold medal. It was epic. What American doesn't like beating the Russians? Usa, usa, usa. The summer games are about to begin and I couldn't think of a better event or time to bring Americans together.

Joy: 2:17

Things are pretty heated around here lately, so I call a ceasefire. Two weeks away from the paid political campaigns, negative social media posts and brainwashed bickering, matter of fact, maybe we should actually get together, have a big watch party, popcorn Twizzlers cop a squat and watch Team USA dominate Hell. You could even cheer for other countries if you want. You know Paris is the host city this year. Have you ever been there? I've never even traveled outside of the US. I'm not making light of the seriousness of the heat of political climate. Right now, on the same black and white TV, I watched the USA hockey team win gold.

Joy: 3:00

I saw the assassination attempt of Ronald Reagan months later. I'll never forget either day. One day so proud for our country, the other so worried for our country. That's how I felt on July 14th when I heard of the assassination attempt of Donald Trump. Worried for my country. Americans seem to be foaming at his mouth, sizzling like a hot piece of bacon ready to pop. Talk about waiting on the other shoe to drop, sizzling like a hot piece of bacon ready to pop. Talk about waiting on the other shoe to drop. On November 22, 1963, my grandmother stood on the sidewalk in downtown Dallas, filled with excitement and patriotism as JFK's motorcade passed by. Moments later, she would slump down at her desk, crippled with despair, as the word of the president's death became reality. No matter how many decades passed, she'd tear up whenever she had to relive that tragic moment.

Joy: 3:51

While gun violence has become so frequent, I still get a sinking feeling in my gut when I hear of another shooting. Political violence can be found throughout America's history and sadly it's trending. But violence of any kind should disturb each of us as it robs our innocence and weakens us at our core. America stands on a podium waving a flag of democracy, screaming for others to watch us be like us, yet we're modeling uncivilized behavior. We must do better and stop blaming the candidates and the parties they represent. They're just playing the chords we give them.

Joy: 4:29

Yeah, I said that we don't all have to agree on everything to show respect and learn from each other. Debate is brilliant and has informed citizens and helped shape society since ancient times. Change happens as we evolve. I'm no little kid sitting around wearing a Ben Franklin-looking revolutionary war hat while I'm watching the Olympics. The world shouldn't look like it did 40-something years ago or 100 years ago. It'll look different 40 years from now and 100 years from now. Nobody listening to this episode will be here to see it, but our imprint will. The ideals of America are great when we put them into action. This country is full of champions, past and present, who have accomplished greatness in sport, science, technology, art, medicine and humanities, paving the way for a future that is beyond measure. Usa, usa, usa. On November 5th 2024, a president of the United States will be named. The majority of the people will cheer and the rest will jeer, and all of us will need to live with the outcome and each other. That's democracy. That's America.

Joy: 5:49

If you're feeling unsettled and an Olympic break won't do the trick, I suggest you check in with yourself to gain perspective with these seven questions. Why does this matter to me? What am I attached to? What can I let go of? What can I control? What is out of my control? What am I grateful for? How did I bring joy to the world today? How did I bring joy to the world today? I was just about to record this episode when my nephew Clay called to share the breaking news Joe Biden was dropping out of the race for re-election as president only months away from the election. At the time of this recording, a new candidate hasn't been named, though Biden did endorse Vice President Harris.

Joy: 6:39

While no edits to my story were required, I wanted to include this historic decision for posterity's sake, but also to remind us. History is happening now. This is part of Biden's statement. It has been the greatest honor of my life to serve as your president, and while it's been my intention to seek re-election, I believe it is in the best interest of my party and the country for me to stand down and focus solely on fulfilling my duties as president for the remainder of my term. I will speak to the nation later this week in more detail about my decision. I will speak to the nation later this week in more detail about my decision. For now, let me express my deepest gratitude to all those who have worked so hard to see me reelected. I want to thank Vice President Kamala Harris for being an extraordinary partner in all of this work, and let me express my heartfelt appreciation to the American people for the faith and trust you have placed in me. I believe today that I always have that there is nothing America can't do when we do it together. We just have to remember we are the United States of America.

Joy: 7:44

I'm Joy Nullisch and I appreciate you tuning into my podcast. My purpose is to bring joy into my life and the lives of others. If you enjoyed this episode, drop a review, share and subscribe, because there's a lot of good stuff on tap. You can also check out my website at joynulisch. com. Now go, bring joy to the people in your world. Until next time, much love.