My 4-year-old buried his head in my hip and let out a short, gaspy shriek. It could have been thrill. It could have been fear. Maybe both? We were watching a video of Simone Biles’s qualifying floor routine at the Tokyo Olympics — the first Games my son will experience.
Though he had trouble expressing exactly what he was feeling as Biles contorted and flipped her body over the floor, he was sure he wanted more. So did I. That rush of concern and compassion, anxiety and desire, aspiration with a touch of allegiance — it’s hard to beat.