BEIJING • The Olympic Spirit reminds me of the Christmas Spirit.

For a couple of weeks, women and men, girls and boys try harder to be kind, patient, loving and generous. For a few days, the world is a little more sunny.

It never lasts, but that’s part of the fun.

Same way with the Olympics. The spirit doesn’t linger forever. It can’t. The world returns to normal today.Oh, well. It was blast while it lasted.

I used to be an Olympic agnostic. Knew it was a really big deal. Knew it commanded the attention of the world.But I wasn’t a believer.

My doubts were banished four years ago in Athens, and I leave Beijing even more of a believer.

My two weeks here weren’t perfect. One cab driver took me on a wild ride. The pollution here would turn anyone into an environmentalist, and the humidity makes me want to jet home to high and dry Colorado.

Those are mild complaints. I’ll remember the dozens of Chinese who helped me when I was lost, who smiled and waved. I’ll remember athletes who, with a few major exceptions, competed with dignity and intensity, a tough mix.

Four years ago, I left Athens believing it was a once-in-a-lifetime experience.

I was wrong. This brush with the Olympic Spirit was just as memorable.-Contact the writer: Columnist David Ramsey can be reached at 476-4985 or david.ramsey@gazettedev.gazette.com. Check out David’s blog at http://daveramseysez.freedomblogging.com

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