If you are anything like me, watching our young Canadian athletes represent us at the Olympics makes you feel even more proud to be a Canadian. And when they win, my heart melts. Nothing like seeing the Canadian flag rise to the playing of our national anthem with a young athlete on top of the podium gleaming with pride. It gets me every time. And so far, Sochi 2014 has been a terrific display of dedication, perseverance, hard work and athletic excellence for Team Canada. And what better ‘Kodak moment’ than the Dufour-Lapointe trio of sisters from Montreal winning gold, silver and finishing 12th.
The coverage of this Olympic moment really got me thinking about siblings…imagine how incredible it would feel to win an Olympic medal for your country. Then times that feeling by a billion – and that is how I imagine it would feel to do it with your siblings by your side. So what is it about siblings that would make that moment so special? To that, I reflect on my relationships with my own siblings, which I cherish oh so much.
Our parents always taught us that no matter what happens in life, you can always count on your family. Looking back, your siblings are your first friends. They know you better than anyone will ever or could ever know you because they have been there for every single step. They know the ins and outs of your family, the craziness of it all, the history of it all, the love of it all. They have gone on every family trip, every childhood sporting event, every activity done as a family.
And if you’re anything like our family, you have inside jokes that only you would understand, and when you try to explain them to anyone, it isn’t nearly as funny. You can make fun of each other or your parents until the cows come home, but if anyone else even dares to say a bad word – those are fighting words.
You will stick up for your siblings even when they are wrong. You will stand by their side through the best of times and the worst of times. You can hang out together all night and get home and call them because there is more to say. You would give them everything and anything if they needed it, but usually a never-let-you-go hug will fix it all.
I love my brother and sister beyond comprehension. And what has been so incredible this last year is being able to work with my sister as well. We have managed to bring this set of excellent family communication tools to business, not only with how we communicate with each other, but also how we communicate with our clients. At the end of the day, Fit Communications takes the healthy messages of our clients to the masses. And we do that really well.
There’s a Vietnamese proverb that says ‘Brothers and sisters are as close as hands and feet.’ So as the Dufour-Lapointe sisters hold hands on the Olympic podium, I can’t help but believe that their sibling closeness brought them to that point.