40 days of the odd remain
I used to be a gymnast.
Oh, I wasn't an especially _good_ gymnast, but if you do anything for close to 6 years, you're going to become at least vaguely competent. I had competed and worked on all 6 men's events: Floor, Rings, High Bar, Parallel bars, Pommel Horse and Vault. My favourites were vault and high bar, with any of the non-balance/flexibility stuff on the floor coming next. The other three were just insanely hard and painful... though I did come to enjoy rings a bit.
One of my favourite memories of that time is when I was practising handstands on a set of low parallel bars. It was an exercise in forcing your body to use your shoulders to keep balance rather then moving your hands around. And one time, I really pulled it off - went up into a handstand and just... held it. For once, it wasn't gravity that decided I was done, it was me. It was pretty much the definition of awesome.
Oh, I wasn't an especially _good_ gymnast, but if you do anything for close to 6 years, you're going to become at least vaguely competent. I had competed and worked on all 6 men's events: Floor, Rings, High Bar, Parallel bars, Pommel Horse and Vault. My favourites were vault and high bar, with any of the non-balance/flexibility stuff on the floor coming next. The other three were just insanely hard and painful... though I did come to enjoy rings a bit.
One of my favourite memories of that time is when I was practising handstands on a set of low parallel bars. It was an exercise in forcing your body to use your shoulders to keep balance rather then moving your hands around. And one time, I really pulled it off - went up into a handstand and just... held it. For once, it wasn't gravity that decided I was done, it was me. It was pretty much the definition of awesome.