Oh She Flies Throught The Air With The Greatest Of Ease . . . Or Maybe Not

Carrie Bradshaw refused to let go of the bar on Sex and The City. What a wimp, I thought, when I watched that episode -- giving girls everywhere a bad name. How hard could it be to let go and swing about on a trapeze?

Let me tell you, I now completely understand not wanting to let go of that bar. As you've probably guessed, this morning KHH and I went to our flying trapeze class. KHH was a natural -- hopefully she'll tell her side of the story on here soon -- she really did fly through the air with the greatest of ease.

Me, on the other hand, not such a natural. My hands are still shaking from the adrenaline that has been coursing through my body all morning.

It started off just fine. We did a practice move on the ground, with a low hanging bar and a spotter. After that, I felt confident and ready to go. Then I had to Climb The Ladder To The Platform Where You Jump Off To Your Death. I reached the top and I have never been more terrified. I was at least several stories off the ground. The net did not look capable of saving anything, let alone my life. The trapeze bar looked like something a child rigged up. I couldn't even hear conversation on the ground, everyone was so far away.

I stood there wondering what in the hell I was thinking when I signed up for this. Then the good-looking, spotter-man hooked me up to the safety line, and he commanded "bend your knees and "hop" (off the platform into the great vast net of death). I couldn't do it. He muttered (with a slight note of frustration) "okay, maybe this time . . . hop." So I did. I managed to do what they told me after a couple of swings. I flipped my knees over the bar, and then I let go! My stomach left my body and I was literally flying (at least it felt like that.) It was hardly graceful. Talk about a rush though.

I climbed the ladder a second time to do it again; this time more confident. The ex-cheerleader kicked in and I planned to "execute" properly. Unfortunately, my enthusiasm made me move too fast; I let go and then promptly fell off the bar, crashing into the net below. Fortunately, I didn't die or break anything. I was thrilled to discover that I was still alive and that the spotter-man used the safety ropes to keep me from really hurting myself.

The next go-round, up on that platform, my brain kicked in. I started thinking about it too much. This time, I was scared. Petrified, actually. I couldn't "hop." Took three commands before I did. Then I did get my knees over the bar again, but this time I couldn't let go. I freaked out in the middle of it all. That was it for me. I turned in my harness and settled in to watch KHH do a catch. She was brilliant - like a Flying Yolanda or whoever that famous carnival woman was.

I'm glad I tried it. I don't think I'm going to be a regular or that I'll run off and join the circus, but it certainly was "new and different." There is a whole sub-culture of carnival folk, and I enjoyed a peek into the world. I'm glad to be back on solid ground though.