Haile

My kids watch this video regularly. Very regularly. Or at least they used to watch it. Now when they hear the music they line up against the fireplace in a Pavlovian trance and wait for Haile and Tyson to signal the start of the race. Then they run up and down the hall, wilding swinging their arms, faces set in the seriousness of competition. They smile when Haile smiles. They pat each other on the back. They love it.

And so do I. It is so fun to have an Ethiopian hero ready at the click of a mouse. Haile Gebreselassie, famed Olympian and exceedingly nice guy, has become a part of our household culture and a personification of speed and character. In the hall, at the park, on a walk: it is always the same. “Look at me! I’m Haile!”

Catching his breath and resting his hands on his knees, Mister, always ends a showcase of speed with, “Haile is fast like me.” To add to the fun, Jason and I randomly met Haile at a roadside café in the state where my son was born and took a picture to prove it. So, Haile, along with being fast and friendly, has his arm around dad in Mister’s special book. And is part of his story. And another reason to be proud of his beginnings.