This is the Incredible Hulk roller coaster at Universal
Studios in Orlando, Florida. But it could be any roller coaster,
really. While some may shoot you through a tunnel at the start, or
have 24 different kind of loopdiloops, or hang you upside down,
they all do the same thing. They totally scare the shit out of
you.
But then they leave you feeling so exhilarated you feel you
can jump over tall buildings - you can do anything in those
first moments after you get off.
I never used to like roller coasters. In fact I never went on
one until I was in my late 20s - it was the Mighty Canadian Minebuster at Canada's
Wonderland outside of Toronto. I was nervous, but then spent the
entire ride laughing my face off. It wasn't a really scary ride, it
was just plain fun! It was the ones I went on afterwards, the ones
that scream they are the Tallest, the Most-Death-Defying, and
the Most Adrenaline-Pumping that scared the crap out of me. I
always complained about going on them - no, this one is TOO tall or
TOO crazy. But I always came off them with that exhilarating
feeling.
Why? Because I discovered a secret about myself -
the more I surrendered to the ride, the better it
was.
All I needed to do was settle in and just let go. As long as I
could hold onto something like the restraint bar or the seat, I
felt completely suported, completely safe. And that feeling of
safety let me fully open to the experience, glide like a bird, soar
like jet.
I certainly don't go to amusement parks all that often, but I
need to remember those feelings. There are so many things in life
that are freaking scary - leaving a job to do what you love, having
a child, exposing your true self to those around you, heck even
just asking out that really cute guy. Try to find something you can
hold onto, something that will give you a feeling of safety - it
could be a friend to help practise your difficult conversation
with, it could be a support group for new mamas, it could also be
knowing that the world won't end if you do __________.
Once you've got that support bar in your grasp - GO FOR IT.
Surrender to it. Let yourself go beyond the fear to feel
exhilarated.
What are your wheeeeeeeee moments?
**What's a moment without a
name, you ask? It's moment where your heart sings, your senses
are ignited, you can see, feel, hear, things that are sacred to
you. They come from any of those textural moments in a life, be it
surrounded by wooly coziness in front of a fire or the heat of the
sun on your face. Join me as I celebrate these moments and textures
in our lives, they don't last long.**