A Roller Coaster Without End

Similes and metaphors abound concerning the subject of life. For now, I will stay out of the box of chocolates. (Unless they are thickly coated with dark chocolate, in which case I’ll blow through them like a tornado on a tricycle.)(Wrap your mind around that visual for a moment)(I’m sorry, I degrade from the subject)
Some people are terrified of roller coasters. I love them.
Whoa! Before you naysayers kick in your defense mechanisms, let me explain.
As a small child my parents would take us to the county fair in my mom’s hometown. We often went late during the week and the operator of the kiddy coaster would allow us to ride for extended periods. For a four year-old, riding in anything besides the family care was a thrill.
As most of you will remember, in the days before car seats and boosters, all any child could see out the window was the sky and the tops of trees. On these slow moving cars for tots you could see everything. There included a certain amount of security, too.
On that tiny train you were safe from the little old lady who thought it was cute to pinch your cheek. Let’s face it, I loved my grandmother but perpetual rosy cheeks invited ridicule or a beating from the neighborhood kids.
I could stick my tongue out at the biggest of said bully’s and he couldn’t touch me. Immediately afterwards, I’d realize my error and would pray for the ride to never end. So began an up and down love story for coaster rides.
I’ll bet many of you felt the same way during those formative years. For those that didn’t, you are excused from class for the day.
For those of you that lost the thrill as you got older, I can guess the many reasons:
• The money you had saved all summer to enjoy that day fell out of your pocket. It’s always the rides fault, not yours.
• The hot dog you had just eaten suddenly reappeared. You didn’t know if you should feel bad for your stomach or the person in the seat behind you.
• You were the person in the back seat.
• You were next to the person in the back seat.
I sympatize completely while being glad it was you and not me.
I see life as one continuous ride. I pray for two things along this journey.
May the ride last long enough to see my grandchildren grown and may the people in front of me have iron-clad stomaches.