The Roller Coaster of Life

Simply put, I have (like many) always loved roller coasters. Admittedly, my love in my younger years was for the ride itself. My fascination today is related to technology, and how the older all-wood structures have given way to the new metal composite contraptions which stretch the body and the mind in so many physical and emotional manners.

The roller coaster of life, however, is something entirely different, yet parallels the physical and emotional thrills of the tangible products found at amusement parks and beaches these days. You get on sometime when your body and brain begin to function together, typically when you start crawling. And then you just strap in and hang on for a while. Eventually, you get to points where you think you can get off and rest, but the ride is simply cruising at that moment, and you ain't gotten out at all - and certainly can't walk away from it.

It matters not where you sit on this ride; many think being in the front gives you an element of control or prestige. Others think that being in the back gives you the most extremes of being whipped around with no control at all. And others think the middle of the pack is best because you are just "there", hanging on for dear life while nobody can see you doing it.

But its the thrill of the ride (chase?) that keeps us in our seats. We look up and either freak out or smile widely as we climb to the highest of highs. Then, we look down and either freak out or scream loudly or semi-pass out as fall with breakneck speed to the lowest of the lows. All the while, we hope like hell nothing is forever, and that each high and low shall indeed pass.

For me, I simply hang on for dear life. I don't really know what's coming next - a mountain to climb to get to a new high, a fall from grace to a new low and depth never before encountered, a twist, a turn, an upside down spin with complete loss of control - and perhaps its the not knowing that makes the ride fun (at least some of the time). I relish those moments of semi-calm when I can see what's coming next - but I also relish the surprises of things I don't see coming.

My sister told me this year "you can't see around corners". This wisdom as served me well, for it got me to stop trying to plan my life so explicitly and with every little nuance and potential and probability and.......well, I stopped planning. For planning in such a detailed way simply brings to the forefront my fears, and results in expectations which are usually not met in any way, and therefore disappointments. Without the planning, my life has unexpected joys in abundance, and a major reduction in fear and an emphasis on faith. For I can now believe that if I just hang on, "this, too, shall pass" - where it be joy or sorrow, happiness or disappointment, love or loneliness.

I take this metaphor to extremes at times. My harness that keeps me in my seat is probably my family. Certainly, my sons are an element of safety for me, keeping me mostly on the straight and narrow. Yes, the boys are also a concern and a responsibility, but on my 4-D roller coaster, they can be both my lifeline and my lifetime. The track that this coaster flies on is the one build by God, certainly not by me. Nothing I could ever learn or apply would produce anything close to this incredible experience. And the amusement park that holds this ride is the life and times of the now and the present. Full of both the known and expected, and full of surprises and disbeliefs, with people and food and drink and stuff everywhere to complete the picture.

And at any time, typically during a very fast moment, someone or something snaps a picture, and it usually captures the moment pretty accurately. Well, usually, anyway....