A tilt shift view of the first ever BMX Olympic Competition. Photograph by Vincent Laforet for NEWSWEEK

 Today, for the first time ever, a gold medal was handed out in BMX at the Olympics. It was also:

    * The first time that I saw a perfectly clear sunset in Beijing.

    * The first time that I was able to sit down for lunch at our hotel.

    * The first time that I took a nice mid-day nap.

    * The first time that I experienced a completely random act of kindness: a volunteer walked up to me out of the blue and gave me two Olympic bracelets.

    * The first time that I’ve made it two weeks without the need of antibiotics to fight off a severe cold or flu at the Olympics.

    * The first time that I did not have to run in a mad dash to catch the bus at the end of the day.

    * The first time that a good friend of mine ate scorpion and centipede.

    * And today was the first time that I can see the light at the end of the tunnel.   (more…)