Crash into Me

Tradition dictates that during water breaks at soccer practice, Olivia runs over to where Beni and I are sitting to playfully run one of us over­—usually me—before rehydrating and heading back out to the pitch.

At the end of class this evening, I just assumed that my having the camera out to capture her gleeful expression would indicate to her that she was to mow down her mother, but as you might guess from the extreme close-up I was able to capture, my assumption was off base.

The above shot was taken the moment before Olivia collided into me like a free safety teeing off on an unsuspecting wide receiver. Her head hit the camera, which then smashed into my face. The multiple impacts sent my daughter, my body, and the camera flying in different directions. Miraculously, neither of us (or the camera) was hurt, and unlike European soccer professionals, we didn’t exaggerate our pain by writhing around the ground in agony.