Rayne's Addiction

This poi bug has bitten hard. I'm totally enthralled and completely obsessed. I've been practicting every morning before work for a little bit, then every night after work for half an hour to an hour.

Apparently I'm no genius at this (something I suspected from the start). It doesn't just come 'naturally' to me. I've read on forums where people learned (allegedly) beginner moves in an hour or two, that I'm still working on after several days. But I'm not worried about it. I also read on said same forums that everyone's different, and just because you don't pick something up immediately doesn't mean you can't eventually be good at it. I've had no experience with this type of thing. To quote my friend Wren, for most of my life the sole purpose of my body has been to tote my head around. I'm not a physically oriented person at all. The most physical thing I used to do on a regular basis, many many years ago, was horseback riding, which required good hands, but held mostly stationary and close to the body. That's the very training I have to now try to undo to learn poi.

Greg mentioned, and I agree, that anyone who had any prior experience in a 'movement discipline' - dance, martial arts, etc. - would probably find this far easier at the outset. So - no biggie. I'm just working with a slight handicap, but I'm confident that in time I can learn what I want to learn.

And the important part is, I'm having a ton of fun, and it's already making me more body-conscious. I already notice myself moving differently, holding myself differently. People at work even remarked on it, though they blamed it on my relaxing vacation. I don't think that's what did it. I think it's because I've got poi on the brain right now, and somewhere in the back of my mind I'm constantly thinking about it - and it actually affects the way I stand and move. Interesting!

Even if it's nothing more than exercise and a fun eye-hand-body coordination experiment, it's still a blast, and for now I'm totally addicted. I know I've had tendencies in the past to get completely absorbed in something for a period of time, then eventually completely lose interest and never care if I pick it up again. This could well go that way, too. Time will tell.

For now, I've got 20 minutes before I have to get ready for work - I think I'll go hit myself with some tennis balls!