During lunch today, my friend, Pearl (the victim of my death grip in the photo), suggested trying slacklining outside of the Nest. Having minimal balancing abilities, I was skeptical of whether or not I will be able to survive such a physically demanding activity. However, ultimately, I conceded to her enthusiasm and grudgingly went outside for the first time in three years.

The experience was, needless to say, extremely daunting. There were already professionals out on the rope, jumping on the slackline and doing tricks involving throwing each other off balance. The best I could do was hold on to a tree, grab Pearl, and scream, “Take a photo!!!!” over and over again until I heard the click of my phone’s camera. I managed to inch forwards about a meter before giving up and clumsily jumping down from the line.

There is nothing remotely deep or meaningful about this story, except for the fact that I almost killed myself.