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!

What a wonderful week this has been!

This past Saturday I had an absolutely fabulous Chinese-themed party for a wide assortment of friends. There were paper lanterns, delicious dumplings, Tsingtao beer, Chinese straw hats, and of course lots of good people. I am continually amazed by how many wonderful friends I have. Thank you all for coming and making that such a wonderful evening.

Since then, I've been to speak at the local school again. I've had lunch with several friends. I've been to a few long-postponed doctor's appointments, worked a few shifts (I have a part-time job as a wine tasting representative), and started in on my Juice Plus business. I've also been interviewed by a couple reporters, and have been corresponding with several people about other publicity events. Next week I even go to the White House with the rest of the Olympic and Paralympic Teams for a couple of days. See what I mean, when I say things have been crazy? :)

If you can believe it, yesterday the City Council of Lago Vista declared October 2nd, 2008 to be Lindsey Carmichael Appreciation Day. I won't type up the framed proclamation they gave me, but it was a huge surprise and an honor to be picked for such a thing. I couldn't stop beaming like an idiot after the mayor handed me the proclamation.

Our elderly neighbors, Kitty and Delbert, threw a big party for me as well, and such an event probably hasn't been seen since Jackie O left the White House. What a welcome! What a spread! More guests than any of us knew what to do with, incredible champagne, lots of toasting, more food than I've seen at most Thanksgiving Dinners, not to mention each bite more delicious than the last! She even baked a special Pineapple Upside-Down Cake with the pineapple slices in a design of the Olympic Rings! All I can say is wow. Goodness knows I have plenty of family already, each of whom I love seeing and visiting, but I've always felt as if Kitty and Delbert were like local grandparents. Always smiling and dropping off fresh cut flowers from their garden, or a few extra cookies from a big day of baking. They were always quick to loan me their golf cart so I could train on my own without having to walk back and forth from 70m all the time. It's amazing how the smallest of favors can contribute so much to other people's lives.

This weekend, I'll be dropping by the Austin JOAD Club to meet up with my old coaches. (JOAD stands for Junior Olympic Archery Development) They have graciously invited me to shoot in their Family Fun Tournament, but I have another party scheduled for later that afternoon, so I will only be able to come by and give a quick talk for the kids and their parents. Considering this is the same group that gave me my first shot at archery, I feel very indebted to them. Who knows? Maybe one of the other kids will take a look at my bronze medal and want one of his or her own. That would be so amazing.

For those in the area who are interested, here's the information on events this weekend.


3rd Quarterly Family Shooting Party
hosted by Austin JOAD Archers

2pm on Saturday, October 4th
4407 Monterey Oaks Blvd., Austin, 78748
(Click link for registration and more info!)



Lago Vista Bronze Celebration Party
hosted by Bam's Roadhouse Grill, Home of the Stuffed Burger

5-8pm on Saturday, October 4th
6115 Lohman's Ford Road, Lago Vista TX
(Very casual event, drop by anytime to say hi!)

I have been a very busy little Paralympian! I've got interviews scheduled with the North Lake Travis Log, as well as the more widely known Austin American Statesman. It sounds as if the next issue of Archery Focus has a big section on me in it, which is exciting. Apparently that article will be focusing on the fact that I'm the first American woman in 20 or 30 years to bring home any medal in archery. (That floored me, when I realized it. WOW.) Seriously, though. Talk about busy. I've been around to a few classes up at my old highschool, giving talks. It's kind of cool to be ambushed by strangers in my hometown, asking to see if I have the medal handy. Still, it's all very surreal.

It's good to remember where all of this came from, and why I have this thing at all. Four years of hard work went into it. And a heck of a lot of good fortune. I thank my lucky stars (and everyone who sent me positive, happy thoughts, of course!) that I was having such a great day in China a week and a half ago. Who knows what might have happened, if things had been different? Ah, well. You do the best that you can with what you have. I am happier than I have been in years, and it's not just because of the medal. Not just because I received my Level II Reiki certification yesterday. Not just because I am home and have lots of friends happy to see me. I am happy because I am finally finding some peace in my life. How wonderful and rare is that?

Click HERE for Boston.com's amazing photograph montage of the Paras. There's an amazing photo of my teammate Eric Bennett, a compound shooter who uses a shoulder harness and an adapted mechanism from a camera shutter to complete his shot. The sun is shining off his SureLoc sight in a really cool way. Great photo, Eric! There are also cool photos of the man who lit the torch by hauling himself and his wheelchair hand over hand to the top of the stadium. One of my favorite pics from this series is of two wheelchair basketball players, one Australian and one British, reaching out to lift up a fallen Brit, wheelchair and all. A great moment of sportsmanship.


The USA Archery Ezine just came out, with a lovely little mention in it:

Carmichael & Fabry Lookin' GREAT in Bronze!
CONGRATULATIONS times two for Lindsey and Jeff too!

"Lindsey Carmichael rebounded from a very difficult loss of her
semifinal match (losing by 1 point during a 1-arrow shoot off after a
101-101 tie), by increasing her final matchplay score to the highest
12-arrow pass score of the day by any female recurve - a 105 to her
Polish opponent's 101, claiming the bronze medal. Lindsey acquired the
first medal for USA Archery of the 2008 Olympiad.

"Jeff Fabry pulled off the performance of his life in the quarterfinals
breaking both the world record and Paralympic record on Friday,
September 12. Fabry dominated his Italian opponent, Luca Fabio
Azzolini from the start and beat him with a margin of 113-97 points.
Jeff hit the bull's-eye five times (earning him 10 points each) and
outscored his opponent in all four ends. Fabry breached the earlier
world record of 111 points which belonged to Finlander Osmo Kinnunen
and the Paralympic record of 107 points which was held by Luca Fabio
Azzolini."


"Things turn out best for people who make the best of the way things turn out."

-Wooden

Last night my friends gave me a surprise chocolate cake with Good Luck written on top, as well as a large card with a Chinese dragon which they had all signed. I was totally touched by the gesture and rejoiced in having a perfectly good excuse to to each chocolate cake for breakfast!

Which is what I did this morning, and had a fabulous practice. Dad set up the big traffic light on a timer, which is all part of the lighting system the Texas State Archery Association uses at tournaments. He set it on the ground lengthways, about 10m in front of me, and we practiced doing the alternating arrows system that they will use in Beijing, complete with flashing lights and beeping. I visualized the stadium that we saw in videos from the Olympics, and he played George Tech (making announcements). Here's an abbreviated version of what it will probably sound like in Beijing. Two whistles (or beeps, as the case may be) signal the archers to come to the line. One beep signals that the next archer may shoot. Three signal the end of shooting. The announcer typically talks right up to the point of the archer releasing the arrow, which can be a little nerve-wracking if you don't practice it.

Beep, beep! Archers to the line.
Beep! Chinese archer Chang Lin shoots first... A seven!
Beep! Carmichael is up... and she follows with an eight! Possibly a line-cutter nine, too close to call.
Beep! Chang Lin hesitates, what will she do? A nine, ladies and gentlemen! Fine shooting, from one of China's best.
Beep! Carmichael shoots a nine. That brings her total score to 17 points, possibly 18.
Beep! Chang Lin shoots a bull's-eye ten! Excellent shot!
Beep! Carmichael pulls through the clicker! She lets down, starts over. She needs a nine to tie, ten for the lead. Will she have the concentration to---TEN! Ladies and gentlemen, what a shot!
BEEP BEEP BEEP!
That takes us into our break with Carmichael in the lead at 27 points, and Chang Lin trailing by one point.

We practiced several scenarios--me trailing my opponent, my opponent having a breakdown, and of course lots of high-pressure ties and shootoffs. It was very good practice, helped me get my head in the right spot. I have to go in to work today, a wine tasting at one of the Sun Harvest Grocers, but I think this was the highlight of my day. The last end I was getting a little shaky, and I could have cinched the match if I'd shot a nine. The final shot felt pretty good, with good alignment and timing that could have been better. I ended up with an eight.

And you know something? I think that if I'd been on the field in China in that scenario, an eight when I needed a nine, a good shot instead of an incredible one... I think there would have been tears, but also pride and acceptance. I am entirely serious when I say that as long as I shoot good shots and do my best, I will be happy with my performance--whether it brings me nothing or it brings me gold. The things I have earned for myself, the mental strength, the experiences, the lessons... everything along this path has more value than any shiny metal disc. (Of course, the shiny dics come with a cool ring of jade inlaid into the back. I know silver has green jade... and gold gets white jade. How sweet is that???) But the point is that I've already won, in a way. And it's not the kind of reward anyone can ever take away from me.

I'm not packed. My bows still need minor tuning. I'm not even sure where my passport is. But I am ready. Seven days left.

"The most important thing in the Games is not to win but to take part.
Similarly, the most important thing in life is not to triumph but to struggle.
The essential thing is not to conquer but to have fought well."

Pierre Frédy, Baron de Coubertin, founder of the modern Olympic movement