So you were probably just like me a couple of weeks ago. It seemed as if I couldn’t pull myself away from the TV. Michael Phelps’ quest for 8 gold medals (among other mesmerizing story lines) completely dominated my life for two weeks.

But now with a much smaller portion of the world watching, China has kicked off another Olympic games. It’s time for the paralympians to take center stage. Once every four years, I become completely inspired by what can be accomplished by those who have suffered significant disabilities.

A one-legged Chinese athlete climbed a 40-meter rope using only his bare hands to light the Olympic torch to begin the Paralympic Games. Afterward he said, “When I climbed up the rope, I knew that the whole world was watching and I wasn’t alone. It was a journey to show the indomitable spirit of mankind, and I want to send the message to the world.”

And what about Oscar Pistorius of South Africa. He was turning in sprint times earlier this year that forced track and field’s world governing body to rule whether he could compete in the non-disabled Olympics. You see, Oscar was born without bones in his lower legs. In the end, they banned him. They considered his prosthetics an unfair advantage. Seriously. I’m not making this up. (You can read about it here: www.nytimes.com/2007/05/15/sports/othersports/15runner.html.)

I hope that I can follow the Paralympics a little on the internet. It certainly doesn’t get the coverage of the regular Olympics. And I hope to find a few new heroes. Heroes in wheelchairs.