Spot The Bar And Close Your Eyes

I’ve been taking an Aerial Class since last September or so.  There’s a bigger story behind it, but I don’t quite have the time to get into it here.  Projects that may or may not be happening are sucking my time away.

So just pretend when I say “I’ve been taking an Aerial Class since last September or so.” You nod your head knowingly and say, “Oh yes, right.  I remember.”

This particular Aerial class has a Static Trapeze component (as opposed to the Swinging Trapeze component, this Trapeze doesn’t move, and you do tricks around it), and the move I was practicing was a simple pull up and over.  Deceptively simple, because while I had no issue whatsoever doing this move on my neighbor’s swingset when I was six, I for the life of me can’t do it here.  I can pull up fine (which is no small feat in and of itself) but can’t get my body over.  I get stuck and gravity works against me and I return, frustrated, to the ground.

There’s nothing worse than trying to do a move you KNOW you could do when you were younger, and not being able to make your years older body bend and stretch to those long ago whims.

So the instructor says, “Okay.  Close your eyes and spot your bar.”  I think about that for a second, then look over at her.  “How can I spot the bar if my eyes are closed?”  Amy The Literal Writer asks.

And she grins and says, “Good point.”  I apologize, but explain that I’m really literal when it comes to hearing these instructions and trying to implement them.  It’s why this instructor can frustrate me, because she’s telling me to move my left hand when she means my right and la la la.

But okay, sure, close my eyes and pretend to spot the bar with my mind’s eye, or some such.  No problem.

So I close my eyes…. And do the move perfectly.  I open them up and I’m on the trapeze, right side up, the bar resting on the top of my thighs. 

“WHO DOESN’T NEED TO SEE!  WHO DOESN’T NEED TO SEE!”  The instructor is yelling, jumping up and down on the ground.

I do the move a couple more times, each time closing my eyes.  It’s hilarious how shutting out all visual stimulation is actually helpful in this instance.  I wonder if there are blind aerialists.  I should go look that up.  When I have time.

So here’s your metaphor for the week – You don’t need to see in order to keep going.  Just spot the bar and close your eyes. 

Heh.