Riding rolling coasters is an ultimate thrill for me. After settling into my seat and holding on tightly, that's about the extent of control I feel that I have because as the motion starts, physics takes over and everything becomes topsy-turvy amid gut-wrenching screams, brain-pulsing awakening of the senses and heart-pounding symphony of nerves.
I love it!!
Yet, roller coasters are also a metaphor for emotional swings brought on by various factors, but mostly from the gap between expectations and reality, between wishful thinking and the what-is of what likely is beyond our control.
People cope differently ... some are able to ride them out, similar to surrendering to the physics of actually riding roller coasters until things settle enough to embark on new journeys and new challenges. Some may need some recovery time especially when the lows become particularly deep and sharp or when the thrill of certain highs suddenly becomes untenable.
Emotional roller coasters are an inescapable reality of being human. They vary in intensity for different people and their lingering effects cannot be neatly measured.
Physical roller coasters are either an invitation or a threat since I know some people who are really averse to them. They have the choice not to get on and are content to just watch coaster riders from a distance on solid ground.
Despite the safety handles or bars of a coaster, as long as my eyes remain open, the ride truly feels like a surrender and adventure ... where primal screams are expected, where sensations are heightened and shaken, where perspective is tested, where fear takes on a new dimension, and where the return to solid ground becomes both a relief and nostalgia.
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