Personal

Tipping the balance

I've been thinking this lunchtime about walking and unicycling. When you walk, you stick one leg out front, ready to catch your body as you tip it forwards. You know you won't fall over because your leg's already in place, and excepting unfortunate incidents with unstable ground it hasn't failed you yet.

When you unicycle, everything's the other way round.

On a unicycle you lean forwards until your mass is unsupported. You then have a choice: eat pavement or pedal to bring the uni in line with your new centre of gravity. To keep moving, you must keep your centre of gravity one step ahead. To ride a unicycle, you have to remain continually off-balance.

It's this instability that makes unicycling seem so difficult. But it's only a reflex that you have to control: you teach yourself to be confident in your ability to pedal. No different I imagine than taming the blink reflex when it comes to putting in a contact lens.

Today is one of those days when I'm going have to unicycle rather than walk. Today I've got to let go of certainty and lean forwards hoping that I don't hit the floor.