I love everything about juggling. I love intense practice alone under bright lights, concentrating on a pure set of perfect movements. I love working on passing patterns with an old familiar friend, sensing his or her movements and rhythms almost unconsciously. I love teaching new people, working with them to refine their understanding of how things move through the air when powered by muscles. I love working on complex passing patterns, where I must track and understand all of the rhythms around me as I throw, catch, and glance in synchrony. I love relaxing and telling lies and stories to my friends in the glow after working out something new, rich, and strange. Juggling is simple yet deep, and to the determined student it can offer profound beauty and comfort.

The muse is a bitch. I've searched for a dropped ball for ten minutes in an empty room. I've spent an hour pounding on a stupid trick when I'd really rather be doing something --anything-- else. Sometimes the hard stuff works fine, and other times it falls apart for no reason I can understand. Illness, distractions, and even loved ones get in the way and force me off practice for days and sometimes weeks. I've developed semi-rational rituals to ward off the daemons of confusion and laziness. Sometimes they work, but sometimes I just go through the motions. The habits you work to attain get harder to keep as you age.

When I was young I was an evangelist. I tried hard to teach everyone I met the basics of juggling, on the theory that they were just like me. I'm less willing to put myself out now. If I see a spark, I'll try to fan it. Folks who think it's easy and just want to know the trick get less attention. There is no trick. There is only practice and the hope of mastery.

-- CharlesShapiro - 01 Oct 2001

I love to juggle too...and have enjoyed sharing my passion for it with others, even though I'm not an expert by any means. I'm just one of those people who always thought it took some kind of special gift or talent to be able to juggle. Then I saw "juggling for Dummies" on a store shelf 15 years ago, and bought it. A few hours later I was juggling the 3 included beanbags, feeling like I'd broken some sort of code...it was exhilarating to say the least. So today I don't juggle so much as a performer, but mostly because I can, and because I feel good and have fun while doing it. I hope this point of view is helpful to those who are beginners.

-- J. Bartlett - 09 Nov 2001