Rope Burn: An Adventure in Humility
Oh, my few remaining readers, remember those halcyon days when I returned from the Dominican Republic feeling stronger, smarter, and more flexible, capable of achieving all things in relation to the aerial circus arts? That was nice, wasn't it? I'd grown comfortable with the idea that, while I will never be as good as my teachers, who can and do
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I think I'd allowed myself to grow a little complacent in my regular classes. I am working out with a group of (mostly) women who are all at about the same level as I am. We all have about the same levels of strength and flexibility. We all know the same moves and the same sequences. It's very easy for all of us to just go around in circles, going over things we already know instead of pushing each other to be better.
Working with people who are very clearly above my skill level didn't turn me into a skilled professional, but I think it's gone a long way towards getting me out of my rut--even if it is a bit bruising to the ego.
Learning to fall is surprisingly difficult. In rope class, we had an exercise that involved swinging (beating) until your body is parallel to the floor and then letting go, falling directly onto your back on a crash mat. The first couple of times I tried it, I could not let go. Every instinct I had screamed you idiot, do not let go of the rope! I'd spent so many years working not to fall that it was very hard to do it on purpose.
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