Roller Coaster Practice

Last summer, during one of those "between jobs" (translation: "out of work") weeks, I took my son to an amusement park. The kind with the rides I would never choose to ride, but did, because I was going for Supermom that day. As I recall, I blogged about it then. I went out on a lot of limbs in those eight hours.
 
One of the "limbs" was a roller coaster. It was nowhere near the biggest (I never made it to those)--its gimmick was surprise. For, you see, each time it would take you in one direction, so that you knew exactly where you were going, it would then suddenly jerk you back and take you on a completely different path. Each time, even if I thought I knew what would be happening, I felt that jerk back. Even after multiple times, I was startled by the change in direction. It was unsettling.
 
Sometimes, life is just like that roller coaster. Even those of us who have no five-year plan (or even five-month, or five-minute plan) ride along a track. It can be a crooked, curvy one, but it is a track. A path of some kind, leading to, well, someplace. We are aware that the track will have ups and downs, and we understand that sometimes, we'll get that sinking feeling on the downs and that breath-holding feeling on the ups. And that is okay. Well, at least it's manageable.

It is that jerk back at the corners that creates the real challenge. You can plan for the ups and downs. But even if you can know that the jerks back will happen, you simply can't plan for them. You just have to be prepared to change where you're looking. To change what you are thinking and planning, because now, your direction (and, therefore, your view) has changed. The best you can do is to dust yourself off and try to appreciate the new scenery--until your next unexpected turn.
 
I don't intend to go on that roller coaster again--at least, not any time soon. It was a Supermom moment in time that I am somewhat proud of, but that I don't need to repeat. Besides, when you've got all the effects of a roller coaster every day in life, who needs the real thing? You can get plenty of roller coaster practice--ups, downs, and jerks back included--just by living.