I juggle. I started when I was 30, 6 years ago, because I felt I wasn't learning anything new in my life and job. I grabbed three crummy balls that were gatheri

I juggle. I started when I was 30, 6 years ago, because I felt I wasn't learning anything new in my life and job. I grabbed three crummy balls that were gathering dust i my room, and for 20 minutes a day, I practiced. It took two weeks of daily 20-minute stints until I had a stable pattern. It reminded me that I could learn, and that was essential for my well-being. 20 minutes was a good length for a training session. I'd start out energized and motivated, I would fail and get frustrated, but would push on until I felt I had measurably improved. The best advice I have if you're in this valley of despair is to practice above a table in front of a wall. You won't have to bend over to pick up the balls you dropped on the floor :) When I moved to where I now live, I didn't know anyone here. Luckily someone at a local hackerspace started a little juggling group once a week, so I joined them to meet people. They're now the core of my friend group here, and it's how I met my girlfriend. They juggled clubs, so I had to learn to juggle clubs. After a couple months of weekly frustrating sessions (I'd have a beer at the start to force me to relax), I finally got the hang of it, and then started learned passing with them. Once you get the hang of it, passing clubs is a lot of fun. It's a social exercise in a way that only dance compares. I still can't juggle more than 3 balls or clubs. Anthony Gatto is amazing, but I completely understand his frustration with difficult juggling not being intuitively impressive. I still juggle in short stints almost every day when I'm frustrated with a piece of code. It's wonderful to take your mind off things, because you have to let your hindbrain take over.