Pragmatic Productivity

I Almost Died in Trapeze School

A life-changing lesson in extracting my self-worth from my calendar

Photo credit: Erin Bomboy

There is a limit to what we humans can do. This limit is different for every person. But, finding that exact limit can be dangerous.

See, I was swept up in the hustle culture. I thought I was invincible. I thought I was beating nature and the rest of the world all at once. I was wrong.

The photo above is of me (Michelle) at Trapeze School New York about ten years ago. I practiced aerial silks for years and I absolutely loved it. I started it on a dare (and to fulfill a new year’s resolution to try something new every day) and I continued it because I relished the thrill of creating art in the air.

I started going to silks class while I was between jobs in shows in New York City. I continued to attend silks class, though, after I joined the Broadway cast of Mary Poppins. And I kept climbing after I started personal training clients as early as 6 am while I was still dancing on Broadway and getting off work at 11 pm. You get the idea.

One afternoon, when I was absolutely exhausted, I didn’t quite listen to the teacher’s instructions, and I got stuck in a neck hang (not the best thing to get stuck in). After fearing…