I think the time has finally come for me to put the finishing touches on this blog. I’ve been home from Beijing for over two months, now. I’ve made inroads into my motivational speaking circuit. I’ve written over 31,000 words in a novel about a Paralympian, and I’m still going strong. By December I hope to have something readable, something worth editing and sending off to a publisher’s. By mid-January I start classes again, and continue shooting archery recreationally with the University of Texas Archery Club again. We have just instituted a Competition program, Team Texas, which will help our more competitive members stay focused and shoot better at the tournaments we attend.

I’m looking forward to finishing my English and History degrees in a couple of years. By that time, I hope to have made some serious progress with my Juice Plus business. I hope to have my Master Level Reiki third degree by then. And I hope to have a novel in the works of some publishing company, ready to hit shelves in a bookstore near you. I have a goal to meet, you know. I want to be on the NY Times Best-Seller List by 2020, and it would be absolutely wonderful to see a book about a Paralympian taking center stage in the literary world.

I’ve had a friend tell me that there’s no way I can make a living from novel writing, and that I ought to get a steady job. This same person has been skeptical about the fact that one can support oneself and one’s family just through Juice Plus. And I won’t deny that these things will take some effort… but if I care about nutrition, and care about seeing my friends a little bit healthier, then Juice Plus is a business I want to be involved with. And if I care about sharing my experiences with the world, and helping to inspire others with the same dreams that I’ve had, then writing is a business that I want to be involved with, too.

The journal that I’m using for this November is something cheap and simple from Barnes & Nobles. But emblazoned across the front of this modest notebook are words written in golden capital letters:

“IN THE MIDST OF OUR LIVES,
WE MUST FIND THE MAGIC
THAT MAKES OUR SOULS SOAR.”

I could not agree more. My friend is probably right on some level. I probably ought to settle down with an easy 9-5 job and try to get my writing done whenever I can. And who knows? Perhaps I will. But I’m not ever going to give up the things that truly drive my life, that bring joy and purpose and magic into my days.

I may try for London 2012. I may not. I want to see if I can get to the point where archery itself is bringing happiness into my life. If I can see it through to that day, perhaps I will try for another Olympiad. Heck, I might even try for both the Olympics and the Paras again. But whatever I do, you can rest assured that I’ll be looking for the magic in my days. Beijing was incredible. It was so amazing that I still feel as if it were a dream. But there are so many other ways to find magic in our days. I hope I never stop looking for it.


Thank you once more for reading. I may post again here and there, might reorganize a bit, but for the most part this blog is a closed book. My story is told, and it's time to make new stories. May we meet again soon!

Welcome to my Beijing Blog!

My name is Lindsey Carmichael, and at the time when I wrote in this blog, I was 23 years old and attending the University of Texas at Austin. I am a writer as well as a world-class archer, and I felt compelled to keep a record of my days in Beijing. I hope you enjoy reading!

A few notes about that. My blog is about fifty posts long, and is organized so that the most recent posts are at the top. That means the easiest way to navigate is to use the calendar at the left side of the page to look at previous months or look at a list of my subject headlines.

To make it easier, I’m going to link the entries I find most pertinent to my Olympic story. The links below by no means constitute my entire experience, but you'll get an idea. (The one in bold with stars is the one of which I am most proud. It was written on September 13th, has a very unassuming name, and it is the one that has been most quoted by others.) Once you click on the link, it will take you to that particular entry, and you can use the “previous / next” links at the bottom of those entries to take you forward and backwards in my writing.

AUGUST 2008

Welcome--Introductory Post!

Four Years… Four Weeks

The Last Practice


SEPTEMBER 2008

Inspiration, and a Final Goodbye

Travel Drama!

At the Village!

Rough Practice, and Opening Ceremonies

Beijing Paralympic Opening Ceremonies

First Day of Scoring

YouTube Videos!

First Match!

Oh the DRAMA! (Or, Lindsey's 1/8th Elimination Match)

Quarter-Finals, a photo, and two videos from yesterday!

VICTORY!!! A BRONZE!!!!

**Details on Semis and Bronze Medal Match**

Quick Update + an essay about the Paras from 2004

Closing Ceremonies… Last update from China…?

Final trip home – and a couple surprises!


OCTOBER 2008

A Wonderful Week, and More Events to Come!

Two Articles!

Going to the White House for a Visit

Recap of Washington Visit

What’s Next?


Thanks for reading. Feel free to leave a comment on any of the entries, send me a message if you'd like to get in touch, or just poke around as much as you'd like. If you quote me in any way, please remember that all this work is copyright 2008 Lindsey Carmichael.

Enjoy!