One of my earliest
recollections of going to an amusement park was as a camper at Camp Echo
Lark. Each summer, we would venture out
from Poyntelle, Pa to Ghost Town Amusement Park in Moosic, Pa. There was one ride that I used to go on over
and over again – the roller coaster. It
is still one of my favorite amusement park rides:
- The tick, tick, tick sound as you slowly climb the first hill with the anticipation of reaching the crest,
- The sudden thrill of the first drop where you feel like you could lift off the seat and into the air,
- The quick change of direction as you round the first bend, and,
- The “I cannot believe we are finished” feeling when you pull back into the station.
Today, there are more
varieties than that rickety old wooden one – the quick start, the loops, and
the corkscrews. You no longer have to
sit in a “car”, but can have your feet dangle or be in a position like you are
flying. However, it is still the same –
you still have the speed at which you move, the ups and downs of the hills and
you still end up back where you started!
There comes a time where we
need to start moving on, whether it is “picking up the pieces”, focusing on the
next goal or some further horizon. While
mass media would have us believe that all good things come to those that wait, the
truth is, we need to put ourselves out there, gather the right skills and
maintain an open eye so that when opportunity crosses our path, we can take it.
We can step out of the stream of our ongoing life to catch our breath, recharge
our batteries or reevaluate our lives; but inevitably, we have to be a part of
the larger world to engage in life.
Some thought leaders say that
we are a reflection of the last five people that week hung out with or that the
last few books that we read impact our choices.
It makes sense, as these are the latest things that we have in our
minds, the last bits of stimulation and the newest points that we want to
emulate. Basically, we tend to reflect
the environment we have surrounded ourselves in. The last few weeks have been an emotional
roller coaster and it would be easy to sit in a dark room, hang my head and
ponder (question?) the meaning of life.
Fortunately, I do not have time for this. Aside from supporting family, I have to think
about Bec moving off campus next year, continue to quietly provide
encouragement in Gab’s search for a job and spend time with Debbie. Not to sound like my life is a cliché, but we
have things to do, places to go and people to see. In light of these things, the small amount of
time to sit in the corner and reflect, while important and healthy, cannot be
the sum total of all of my future actions.
I know that life is not some thrill
ride, yet there are many thrills as we ride through life. Almost all aspects of life have high points
and low points. Sometimes the peaks are
very high and sometimes the valleys are very low. Life is full of many different things: full
of successes and failures; full of happiness and sadness; full of positive
experience and negative experiences; full of good times and bad times; life and
death. And, because of the valleys in
our lives, we get to appreciate the peaks that much more. Like the roller coaster, there are times
where we seem to end up back where we started. I, for one, like back in Ghost Town, am ready
to stay on that `coaster for the next go around, looking forward towards that first
hill, and enjoying the thrill of the ride for as long as I am here.
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