It's 2:39 am, Saturday morning. I stayed up late to watch the opening ceremony of the 30th Olympiad, a.k.a. London 2012. It was a highly spectacular event; the colorful shows were mesmerizing. I cannot tell whether or not this ceremony was better than the 2008 Beijing event, but one thing's for sure, I just like what I saw.
What impressed me more at this moment, though, was not the colorful ceremony. I was immersed into the spirit of the game. For the more-than-three hours that I spend in front of the TV, all I think was the Olympics, and the message it entails. It was all about peace, love, respect, and harmony. If you had the same feeling, there would not be a tiny space on your minds about anything else.
Once I was in that state of mind, I was too busy to think about the other stuff that's making headlines lately. The battle in Syria, the Eurozone crisis, the back-to-back natural disasters that create havoc in different parts of the world, the current situation in Ethiopia,..., all of those were forgotten. The spirit of the Olympics reigned all along. Seeing people inside the Olympic stadium smiling, cheering, and enjoying their moment at the greatest sporting event on the planet, that's the one thing which puts a smile on my face at the end of the day.
Adding to my excitement, I was delighted to see familiar faces on the podium. The Ethiopian delegation, small but determined to shine at the Olympics, was led by a young, energetic (and good-looking) athlete named Yanet Seyoum. Yanet became the first Ethiopian swimmer to take part in the Olympics, along with another male compatriate. Looking at them at that arena fills my heart with joy.
And looking at the iconic Haile Gebreselassie among the Olympic flag-bearers, including UN Secretary-General, Ban Ki Moon, was the show-stopper for me. Wow! How incredeble to be inspired by those big-names, and feeling anointed by the Olympics spirit.
As the show drowns to its close, I was thinking, "It would be marvelous if this feeling could last long." Leaving that feeling is hard, but I believe keeping the sense of it is possible. I believe we can do that in the coming couple of weeks of the games, because that's the spirit.
So, in the spirit of peace, love, respect, and harmony, let's enjoy the Olympics. Let's bring happiness to our hearts by virtue of the games. Let's enjoy the summer with the beautiful game.
Good luck for our Ethiopian Olympians in London!!!
What impressed me more at this moment, though, was not the colorful ceremony. I was immersed into the spirit of the game. For the more-than-three hours that I spend in front of the TV, all I think was the Olympics, and the message it entails. It was all about peace, love, respect, and harmony. If you had the same feeling, there would not be a tiny space on your minds about anything else.
Once I was in that state of mind, I was too busy to think about the other stuff that's making headlines lately. The battle in Syria, the Eurozone crisis, the back-to-back natural disasters that create havoc in different parts of the world, the current situation in Ethiopia,..., all of those were forgotten. The spirit of the Olympics reigned all along. Seeing people inside the Olympic stadium smiling, cheering, and enjoying their moment at the greatest sporting event on the planet, that's the one thing which puts a smile on my face at the end of the day.
Adding to my excitement, I was delighted to see familiar faces on the podium. The Ethiopian delegation, small but determined to shine at the Olympics, was led by a young, energetic (and good-looking) athlete named Yanet Seyoum. Yanet became the first Ethiopian swimmer to take part in the Olympics, along with another male compatriate. Looking at them at that arena fills my heart with joy.
And looking at the iconic Haile Gebreselassie among the Olympic flag-bearers, including UN Secretary-General, Ban Ki Moon, was the show-stopper for me. Wow! How incredeble to be inspired by those big-names, and feeling anointed by the Olympics spirit.
As the show drowns to its close, I was thinking, "It would be marvelous if this feeling could last long." Leaving that feeling is hard, but I believe keeping the sense of it is possible. I believe we can do that in the coming couple of weeks of the games, because that's the spirit.
So, in the spirit of peace, love, respect, and harmony, let's enjoy the Olympics. Let's bring happiness to our hearts by virtue of the games. Let's enjoy the summer with the beautiful game.
Good luck for our Ethiopian Olympians in London!!!
