Taking A Tumble

A few days ago, I spent my bus ride reading articles from the CrossFit Journal about the fundamentals of handstands, somersaults, and cartwheels. When I got home, I informed Dave we’re going to Home Depot this weekend and buying the supplies to make parallettes.

Then Tuesday night, I cleared the floor space in my Glamour Room and shut the door (so no one could see me, even though it’s just Dave and me in the house and he wasn’t home).

I removed my shoes, took a deep breath… and did a forward somersault. Three times. Then I spent 2-3 minutes practicing a kick-up into a handstand. I didn’t actually make it all the way up, but I tapped my feet on the wall a few times.

I caught a glimpse of myself in the mirror when I was done: red-faced, sweaty, out of breath — and looking ridiculously happy.

That might not sound like a big deal to you, but it was sizable accomplishment for me. I muddled through all of elementary school, junior high, and high school repeating these phrases: “I forgot my gym clothes.” or “Can I go to the nurse? I have a stomach ache.”

I’m not known for spontaneity, and while I love learning new things in books, I have a general reluctance to try new physical activities unless I have plenty of time to think about it first.

Which is why I’m so attracted to the idea of trying just a little gymnastics and, someday, parkour.

I don’t want to spend the rest of my life thinking a whole category of activities is unavailable to me. I don’t want to limit myself with involuntary thoughts of “I can’t do that” without at least making an attempt.

So I’m thinking — just THINKING — about taking the Gymnastics Workshop at CrossFit Central on September 20. It sounds really fun, and potentially horrible, which is exactly why I think I should do it.

I don’t want to be the girl in the corner, watching other people, thinking to myself, “I wish I could do that.”

And the only way to learn to “do that” is to try. So… yeah. Maybe.

In his CrossFit Journal article “Handstands,” Gary Glassman said this:

It’s O.K. if your take-offs don’t takeoff or if your landings are more like crashes; do them anyway. If these drills are seemingly impossible, don’t let that psych you out. Nothing about your difficulties suggests their inappropriateness for you.