And sometimes, Mr. Lewis, you fall and bust your butt. Which is why you should never let go of the past — it might be the only thing holding you up.
Or maybe I’m just not the kind of person meant for analogies.
I survived my entire childhood without any spills on the monkey bars. Mostly, because I wouldn’t have touched them except under threat of bodily harm since I knew that is how it was going to end anyway. To say I wasn’t an athletic child would be an understatement. There is no way I would have not broken a wrist. Even as a 7 year old, I was smart enough to know that. But let us not quibble over my luck as a youth. My point is that I can no longer claim the same spotless record for my thirties.
In a month I will be attempting this, along with some other obstacles and a quick 6 mile jog:
Don’t ask me why. It’s a combination of peer pressure (Ben is doing it) and principle. (I have to go with him and I would have to PAY to be a spectator which is the lamest thing I can imagine so why not pay to do the actual thing?)
In my preparation, in addition to googling to see if anyone has ever died doing this*, I’ve been playing around with the monkey bars at my gym. I haven’t had much luck because my hands slip instantly. However, this weekend I found a pair of gloves that are incredibly grippy and I just knew I would be able to glide across the bars like a veritable … I don’t know. Monkey? Bar Ballerina? 8 year old?
Either way, it actually helped tremendously. I was able to do much better than I ever have in the past. However, in mid-swing my hand slipped part way out of the glove. This was on the hand that was supporting myself so down I fell. I’ve fallen plenty of times, but I always knew it was coming. Not only did I not know it was coming but I fell horizontally with no hope of landing on my feet. I came down on my right side – with my hip taking the brunt of the fall and it hurt. The bars are pretty high at our gym and the floor is in no way soft. Afterward, I ran a mile. I was suppose to run 5, but my body was threatening to call DSS on me so I ended up throwing in the towel and spending the rest of the afternoon floating in the pool.
*Why, yes, someone has died while doing an obstacle course race. Please don’t tell my mom that.
I can’t believe you’re still planning on doing this thing. Obstacle. Death trap. OH, and I LOVED the monkey bars when I was little! Just saying…:)
Listen, I don’t need your judgment. I just need for you to take a shift once I break both legs and am house bound for a month. C’mon – you know I’ll let you wheel around in my electric scooter when I’m not using it.
Only if you get a Rascal. And not a knockoff either. I want the real thing!
Well at least this post lets me know you’re still alive! I was wondering….
I’m not doing anything nearly as exciting, but I did sign up for a 10K in January, and then promptly stopped doing my daily jog. So yeah, I should be well prepared!
Good luck, lady!