I was mid-sentence when the ball hit me. Just behind my right ear. A soccer ball, a ferocious curving shot on goal gone slightly wide, fired from about 20 yards away by a college varsity soccer player warming up for a game. I sagged to the turf and rolled onto my back, eyes closed, hands to my head.

“D***, that hurt,” were the first words that came to mind, after a few seconds.

I heard my conversation companion, another soccer dad, ask, “Nick, are you alright?”

“Yes…. My head hurts.”

“Stay where you are,” he commanded.

I opened my eyes, squinting. I could see him, kneeling next to me. I didn’t want to move, really. The turf felt very comfortable.

Over the course of the next few minutes, the player who shot the ball, several of his teammates, their coach, and an EMT checked on me.

Long story short, the soccer ball’s impact generated a concussion with the usual symptoms – dizziness, sensitivity to light, nausea, immediate sensations of fatigue, head aching with almost any movement.

Once I was ready to stand, my friend and I walked cloud-like slowly to a spot well out of the way to watch the game.

As I settled down, I thought, “A concussion, you idiot!” (for standing with my back turned to the field next to a soccer goal, inexplicably careless) followed by, “This is really inconvenient!!!!!! What if I can’t work this week? Who will take care of my clients?”

The short answer in the moment was, “Nobody.” I hadn’t arranged any back up and I hadn’t documented the work day-by-day, up to date, anticipating that I might be, without any notice, out of action for a couple of days.

Note to self….