The Amusement Parks
You see, I’ve always been afraid of amusement parks. Really, it’s the roller coasters...It starts off by you getting in line to see what this thing is all about. Maybe you heard about it from a friend, or you see everyone else getting on, or you’re just genuinely curious. So you step up and wait your turn. You wait your turn for this crazy, potentially dangerous, exhilarating thing. Then you get on. Now you’re committed. You’re held in place by a large metal bar, there for your safety. Maybe there are some extra straps as well for security. You’re essentially putting your life in the hands of a stranger you don’t even know, and likely never will. Not completely. Now on this ride you might do flips and twists. It might go really fast or super slow, there will be all kinds of turns and curves and maybe even sudden drops. It sounds exciting, right? You get to take some time out of your life and try out this wonderful new thing! You go through dark tunnels, get drenched in water, and float along. You’re thrown high in the air, and sometimes you forget the straps are even there. When you get off the ride, you  might be light headed or feel the need to throw up. The whole thing might make you sick. And that’s okay, because you tried something new. You allowed yourself to let go and put your fate in someone elses hands. You paused your life, your work, your family, your friends...and you dove in. Head first. Some of us do it without thinking. Others overthink. You might think to yourself “I will probably hate this. This might not fit me...but it doesn’t matter, I’m trying anyway.”. You might think “I don’t care about what I want, all my friends are doing it.”. I’ve seen it happen both ways. Now I’m not saying letting go and trying new things is all bad, I’m simply saying sometimes the reasons behind what we do aren’t good. Don’t waste your time on something you don’t want or something you won’t enjoy...something you only want to do because you feel like it’s what all the “cool kids” are doing. Now for me, I’ve never liked them. I tried one once. To give you an idea of how I felt, I would say that my experience could only be replicated by a knife in my gut. Which doesn’t sound particularly appealing. So as I grow, I grow up and out and learn things. I learn things not just because a situation might arise in which a friend needs help in feeling safe when they go, not so I’m a comforting word...I learn things for the sake of learning. I make a point to try new things...Even though they don’t always work out...Even though they sometimes leave me feeling battered and bruised, or kicked to the curb and crying... You see, I’ve always been afraid of relationships. Really, it’s the commitments you make...