I got a set of juggling equipment for Christmas. When asked by kids at our comic book and art workshops, Jerry says that juggling is easy. “You just breathe in and out through your nose,” demonstrating dramatically, “and you juggle.”
Three weeks into learning how to juggle and I have to admit that it isn’t quite as easy as all that. The juggling set includes 3 multicolored balls, green and blue and yellow. When I got the juggling set, Jerry told me to set aside 18 minutes a day to practice nonstop.
I first attempted to do this on New Years Day, 2024. I put on my headphones, held the balls in my hands the way Jerry had, and threw them into the air. The balls arced high into the air, deftly avoiding my hands as they fell to the ground. But wait! I’d forgotten to breathe through my nose! I closed my eyes, thinking of Dragonball Z, and flared my nostrils, shaking dry mucus from my sinuses as I inhaled.
I then proceeded to juggle perfectly for the next hour and half–just kidding! I caught two balls, and the third fell to the floor. I only marginally embarrassed myself, but then I’d seen me do worse. Try again. Caught only one ball this time. Try again.
I’ll See Those Juggling Balls Again Tomorrow
Learning to do something for the first time is only intimidating before we start. Once the juggling balls are in hand and the challenge is in front of us, we suddenly take pleasure in the process of trying with no expectation of success. The voice in our heads that says YOU CAN’T DO THAT only takes over between throws. That voice is wrong. Tell it to buzz off–you’re busy attaining greatness.
After a long 18 minutes I took my headphones out. Done for the day. I’d be back at it tomorrow, and the next day, and the next day, until I was the greatest juggler in the tri-county area. Was more or less what I told myself, stretching out the knots in my back I’d made contorting like a rag doll trying to catch a ball that had flown from my hand at a 45 degree angle towards a family heirloom in the basement. Nothing too valuable shattered into a million pieces, so I figured I’d done ok.
