If you had an entourage . . .

Watching the Olympics has been both exciting and informative. I watched just about all of the American swimming events in primetime. Obviously, Michael Phelps being my hometown hero had something to do with that! I enjoy all the background information almost as much as the actual events. It helps explain the details of the sport, while also giving some perspective about the athletes.

I heard several times that some of the swimmers have an entire team of support staff that perform various tasks, like massages and cool down training, for the athletes. As many as ten people helped prepare (and even repair) Dara Torres for her events.

It got me to thinking recently . . . if I could travel around with a support staff of people, who would I pick to be my "team?" In truth, there are many people who do help support me in ways little and large but they just don't follow me around. But, in a literal sense, what kind of people would make a good support staff?

I would want someone who is a personal cheerleader, who totally believes in me, like my aunt Ambra. We all need some positive reinforcement at times. But I would also want someone who can kick my butt and tell it like it is, for the days that my actions aren't so positive. We all need people who remind you, "Are you out of your mind?" when we're about to mess up big time. I'd choose someone to make me laugh, who sees more of the big picture, and can remind me that the fate of the world doesn't rest on my shoulders. I'd choose someone with creativity, who could make my life and ministry more innovative. Maybe it would be good to have someone who is extremely organized and can keep me on target with my tasks (or do them for me!).

That's my dream team; who would you pick?
Ariel Rainey6 Comments