February 2020

Hello lovely Trinity people!

Are you a roller coaster kind of person? As a kid I HATED roller coasters. Spinning was not so bad, but any ride that involved loosely strapping myself to a seat that was soon to fall out of the sky . . . No thanks! I’m not sure what I found worse, the slow ascent . . . click, click, clicking away our last seconds before certain death, or the actual dropping part . . . stomach in my throat, butt floating freely, hands gripped to anything within reach.

Even though I was not a huge fan of roller coasters, I found myself at amusement parks quite often growing up. Eventually I got tired of politely tagging along and watching everyone else have fun so I would swallow my fear, grit my teeth, and take deep breaths as we inched along in line. I vividly remember one sunny day at Six flags. My group wanted to ride the coaster that had the highest drop in the park. After hours in line and lots of positive self-talk, I finally stepped into my seat and pulled the lap bar toward my waist. With ample space to spare between my body and the bar, I pushed harder to make it more secure. It didn’t budge. PANICKED, I looked up at the young attendant on the platform and shouted, “this won’t move down any further!” He looked at me and shrugged. SHRUGGED! And then he stepped back as the cars started to move. EVEN MORE PANICKED, I looked at my friend and said, “I’m literally going to fall out of this seat!” She didn’t know what to say.

Click . . . click . . . click . . . I’m feeling faint . . . (probably because I was no longer breathing deep) . . .
Click . . . click . . . click . . . I’m clenching every muscle in my body. . . (maybe my rigidity will save me?) . . . Click . . . click . . . click . . . and we drop . . .
 
Surprise! I didn’t die . . . physics and that coaster were friends and I lived to ride another day.
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It’s been a long time since I’ve been on a roller coaster, but as I look forward to another year on this planet, I’m strangely feeling drawn to the amusement park. I’ve decided on two goals for my year:

1. Have more fun
2. Take more risks

Maybe I’ll make plans to visit a Six Flags this year. I would dare say that certain roller coasters were fun 😊 Super Man ride – I’m looking at you! And to the inventor of shoulder restraints, in addition to lap bars, I thank thee! At any rate I’m hoping to channel the amusement park spirit and step into fun and risky opportunities I might otherwise politely watch from the sidelines.

Here’s to a roller coaster of a year. Yee-Haw! (I already feel a little sick 😊)
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Pr. Megan

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