circus girl

So here is something you may not know about me…I used to be in a circus.

It’s sort of hard to explain. I spent most of my childhood summers at a camp that, amongst other crazy activities, had a circus. The kids would rehearse every day and then perform every few weeks.

When I first started, at 10, I was part of the simpler performances: globe (walking on a giant ball), trick bike, double dutch jump rope. Every time I auditioned, my dream was always to be in the aerial acts. I wanted to be on of the performers who would hang from ropes and fly on trapezes just like in Cirque du Soleil.

Once I finally made it, I did everything, from single trapeze, to rope, to cloud swing, to flying trapeze. I was fearless and I loved it. I hung upside down, tied knots around myself and swung from the rafters.

At the end of every summer I would go home wishing I could continue. I tried to convince my mom that we should hang a trapeze in our back yard. Circus fun was always relegated to the summertime. And over time my circus dreams faded. Until now… (more…)