Batman had Robin, the Lone Ranger had Tonto, Frodo had Samwise, Shrek had Donkey, Sonic had Tails and of course, Don Quixote de la Mancha had Sancho Panza! Me? I have Miss Nina Simone, my 5-year-old Shih Tzu, a prodigy of a sidekick! The mighty Miss Nina is a veritable Afropolitan: she was born in Accra, Ghana, and in her short tenure as my sidekick, Nina has re-located (albeit involuntarily), to Baltimore, Manhattan and Boston; she’s traveled to 8 states and often returns to Ghana. As William Shakespeare wrote, “though she be but little, she is fierce!” Miss Nina Simone is arguably the greatest sidekick of all time (sorry, Sancho). In the art of flight and life, a sidekick-cum-co-pilot is necessary for a number of reasons (to be explored in a subsequent post), but let’s first outline a few salient characteristics an excellent sidekick should have.

Photo care of my original sidekick, my twin sister, Taiye Selasi

I mean…

1. It helps if they are furry and cute. Chewbacca is a good example. So is Miles “Tails” Prower, Sonic’s sidekick extraordinaire. Furry and cute things with 2 to 4 legs generally make us smile and coo uncontrollably, even in the middle of a grueling track workout or lifting session (exhibit number one: picture of Nina in the weight room, into which I have smuggled her on more than 1, 2, 3, or maybe 12 occasions).

2.  They should be of a cool and calm demeanor. Piglet and Pooh are a good example here. Piglet, though he is generally considered Pooh’s sidekick, once had this exchange with Pooh: “Pooh?” Piglet said. “Yes, Piglet?” Pooh replied. “Oh, nothing, I just wanted to be sure of you.” So cute! The key to a good sidekick is their calm and steady presence in your life. Just there. Being calm and steady. And bringing a great deal of comfort to an occasionally topsy-turvy existence.

Nina, demonstrating her trademark cool and calm demeanor

3. Bonus points if they have a super power or at the very least a fascinating idiosyncrasy that makes you laugh. Nina, for example, despite her minuscule size, can inexplicably imitate every athletic feat I attempt on the track. When I first started bringing her to the track, she was just a baby (1 year). I brought her so I wouldn’t have to leave her at home since she still wasn’t house trained. I assumed she’d want to hang out by the pit as I ran around but she would bark and cry so I let her off the leash. You’d never believe it but she would run, in her own lane for distances up to 120 meters with me… And she would jump, into the long jump pit, after me! I didn’t believe it myself until a woman at the track asked how I’d trained my dog to be a track athlete. I laughed and explained that I hadn’t trained her… That she must be mistaken… But the woman insisted that Nina was  doing the workouts. So I asked her to videotape it.

Nina and I jumping:

The idea of my tiny Shih Tzu taking off at the edge of the runway and jumping into the long jump pit is endlessly delightful and never fails to make me smile. What an amazing sidekick!

Nina and I taking a break from a track workout (during which I guess a sprinkler was present)

4. They should embody love, an endless amount of it, as well as a dash of unwavering commitment. Luckily, Nina is a natural pack animal (as are we) so this trait is embedded in her DNA. I’ll let a few pictures take us out…

Nina, appearing to embody love and unwavering commitment (or just milking her cuteness for all it’s worth)

“I just wanted to be sure of you.”

I’m fairly certain the exact same conversation is going on here; although it’s probably me wanting to be sure of Nina.