Tiffany Painter

I was watching the Olympic gymnastic competition this past week like everyone else. In between trying not to feel ancient as they referred to the twenty-seven year old athletes as old and in total awe of the gravity-defying tricks being performed, I wondered about their first times. The first time they let go of the bar they were spinning around and twist their body in a few different directions before catching the bar again. Or the first time they ran full speed at an obstacle only to use their hands to push themselves up and over it with a few somersaults thrown in for fun. Don’t forget about leaping all around on a plank that isn’t much wider than their foot. And in all of these things the pressure to “stick the landing” is always present. By the time we see them perform, they have practiced and mastered, mostly, these things. But what must have gone through their heads the first time they tried doing these impossible things? It kind of makes me rethink all the times I hesitated or doubted myself before trying something new. Most of my firsts didn’t involve life-threatening events. My firsts were more like trying something new at work, making a new dish in the kitchen, trying a new yoga pose. Watching these athletes puts it all into prospective. If they can be brave enough to literally fly through the air, I can be brave enough to try balancing on my hands in a crouched position. Maybe someday I’ll master that crow pose. If I don’t, that’s okay, but at least I tried something new. And I don’t have the entire world watching to see if I succeed.

7/29

just across the pond
past the smooth serenity 
summer life reflects

8/1

shadows glide away
morning light makes an entrance
launch of vibrant dawn

8/3

adjustments were made
course corrections from living
sinuous timber