Heavy Lifting

A solid steel ballpoint pen was lying right across an open spiral notebook, practically daring me to test its weight. I couldn't just walk past an opportunity like that. I squared my stance, dropped into a clean squat, and slipped both hands under the cool metal barrel. Bracing my boots against the lined paper, I drove upward and hoisted the front end clean up to chest height. It had serious heft, cold and dense against my palms, but my joints held completely steady. I locked my elbows, held it for a full count of five, and lowered it back down with total control.