A Clumsy Balancing Act

I set out across the smooth wooden coffee table to find something solid to hold. An oversized plastic ruler lay balanced over a stack of glossy magazines, and beneath it sat a small tin spool. With a soft click, I leaned forward to inspect the spool, but my footing slipped on a slick magazine cover. I wobbled forward, arms instinctively stretching out like a frantic teeter-totter, and bumped the ruler. It whipped upward like a seesaw, launching a small blue eraser into the air. Bracing my legs wide, I managed to catch the bouncing eraser right in my cradled palms just as the spool rolled harmlessly against my foot.