If longevity were the goal in creativity, I would have nailed it juggling. Even though I didn’t start until I was 26, I’ve logged over three decades juggling and performing with my husband Michael as The Juggling Hoffmans.

 

But a long career wasn’t a certainly in the beginning. Learning the three-ball cascade, without the aid of a teacher or YouTube videos, proved extremely challenging. I still remember crawling under my sofa, chairs, tables, and assorted obstacles dotting my apartment living room all in an effort to impress a handsome juggling bartender.

 

I didn’t know tennis balls were too light and bounced too much to be suitable for learning, nor did I know what a three-ball cascade was. Yet, I persisted. Every day for a month I practiced. Mostly, I failed. But slowly, very slowly, I made some catches. And then, I caught some more. By the end of the month, while not overly graceful or consistent, I considered myself a juggler.

 

Frankly, I don’t remember exactly what transpired next, but I impressed that bartender just enough to get a free beer and a wedding ring.

 

With a skilled teacher by my side, I practiced. A lot. Under the shade of oak and pine trees in our backyard, I started with (real) juggling balls and then picked up clubs, devil sticks, cigar boxes, and the diablo. Clubs, the bowling pin-type things, created new challenges and opportunities. Not only did I have to throw them at the proper time, it also required attention to proper spin and angle of catches and throws. If that wasn’t hard enough, we started passing clubs. Geez. That was hard.

 

Michael was already performing a handful of gigs and a natural at attracting attention, showing off his stuff, and making people laugh. Me? Not so much. I loved practicing all by myself in my backyard with no one to judge or mock me. But Michael encouraged me—and encouraged me—even though the thought of performing terrified me.

 

Our memories differ about who suggested it, but I got my first shot. This is a story I’ve told many times and it still brings tears to my eyes. It was originally written for a talk I did for women in business  and then it appeared on my blog.

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