Life is Nothing but a Roller Coaster Ride

I used to love roller coasters. The thrill of high speeds and near weightlessness, the unknown curves, drastic drops and even the surprise of an unseen cave of pitch blackness, all were major enticements for me to come back and ride it again and again. I LOVED roller coasters, especially the end, where you feel that you overcame the challenge and relief ensues.

Now not so much.

Roller coasters now make my head spin and give me the urge to report to some kind of 'thrill ride' authority the battering my body was just subjected to. What has taken the thrill out of the ride? Is it my age? Normally, I'd say probably so. But now, I'm not so sure. These machines are only getting faster, higher, and more 'creative'. We have roller coasters that race each other, go to warp speeds, or that we can ride in backwards, forwards, sideways, upside-down, sitting, standing, and even lying on your stomach (think Superman). Pretty soon we will be riding 'Tarzan-style' by our hands or something. The thrill alone is never enough.

My life has been the proverbial roller coaster ride. The ups are filled with excitement and pleasure with wonderful, breathtaking views. The downs are stomach wrenching and fear laden. Most of us close our eyes in the sight of such fear and anxiety. Probably not a good thing to do unless we want to add vomit inducing to the list. At times, just when I am reveling in the relief of surviving one coaster, the next new and improved, butt-kicking version comes out and here I am, rising to the top only to try and conquer the 'bottom' again. It's these rises that seem the most important to me, allowing me time to prepare and get in a few deep breaths. The better prepared I am, the better I'll be able to handle those breakneck curves just ahead.

What I am finding out is that there are many roller coasters of life that we aren't forced to ride. We can actually choose to get on and off as we please. Agency can be a pretty cool thing. But, by choosing to get off are we denying ourself anything? ALL of my life's rides, the great and the terrible included, have been major teaching moments for me. These moments are priceless because they prepare me for the next ride and sometime warn me of others. Infact, the strength I've earned from conquering one ride is always just enough needed to get on the next ride. Funny how that works.

So maybe these roller coasters really aren't so bad.