Irony

A tranquil path doubles as an obstacle course when one overly confident mother on pink roller blades loads up her arm with a water bottle and several thick coats that are torn off somewhere in the middle of a five mile trek after cold, rigid bodies are warmed and sweating in the crisp morning air. An SLR hangs loosely around a neck that hastily decides to turn much too abruptly to check on daughters still lagging behind on the last curve of the lake.













A blade catches cracks in the pavement. The free arm instinctively grasps the dangling instrument before going down hard on black asphalt where wrist and fingers become the initial sacrifice under the weight of a heavy lens. A bruised knee, swollen hand, and a bit of pride are the additional costs incurred to keep an expensive camera in tact, unbroken.

Four days later...
Camera comes along for another early morning ride on the front seat of the car to catch doorbuster sales on Black Friday. Arriving home at the end of a long and tiring day, Mom unlocks the front door and heads back towards the car to help unload, only to hear the dreadful sound of shattering glass on concrete in the driveway.