Traveling rings and the Circus of Life

It’s incredibly helpful to be around others doing what we love the way we love doing it.

Seeing random people swinging in intuitive ways from the different monkey bars, rings and ropes in Santa Monica immediately shifted me back into playful-delight mode. This was especially noticeable after working for such a long, sustained period and being jet-lagged from the cross-country flight.

There’s also another level of help that I noticed. Within a passion (in this case a whole playground for adults that got me excited) there is more than likely that one or two things that especially resonates. It’s helpful to notice this distinction as we refine our passion. For me there was something in the playground that especially moved me and continues to be a powerful image for me – the traveling rings.

The traveling rings are a series of 8-10 gymnastics rings spaced 7-8 feet apart. There’s a series of 8-10 swiveling rings that people “travel”. They spin, flip and soar from one ring to another. Although it’s most likely obscenely hard to do, the sense of freedom, play and artistry were breathtaking. Here’s a great video of the traveling rings in action. Start the video at 1:08, it’s where the action starts.

I can learn from my excitement about the traveling rings literally. I can play more in the specific areas I love in my exercise. I just bought a set of gymnastics rings of my very own. I’m investigating a local circus school, adult gymnastics classes, local pickup ultimate Frisbee games. When I let my delight and inner desire move my body the way it wants to be moved, I’m a happy camper. How about you? What delights your body? How do you like to move and be moved?

I can also learn from the traveling rings to plork – to play my work. More on that in the next blog post!

Quixote Consulting’s team building activities offer dozens of opportunities for team play.