The Titan Roller Coaster

Ever since I was young, I've always been terrified of roller coasters. On every occasion of any trip to an amusement park, I was able to talk my family and friends into letting me stay behind while they went to ride the horrifying, fast, sometimes dark with surprises, big drops and looped rides. Of course, the wait would always be nearly two hours {bored out of my mind} before I would see their adrenaline faces again, but I would get the chance to ride the ones that were a little more enjoyable to me. Though, there have been the selective times where I would go with friends and I was literally drug through the line as my anxiety would fly sky high and I would say my last prayers, almost knowing I wouldn't see the ground again. There was no way I was ever able to enjoy the ride. I never felt stable or felt like I was able to control what would happen. For example, If the ride shut down and I was hanging upside down, how on earth would I get down?! Therefore, I avoid roller coasters.


Oh, don't you wish you could avoid certain situations in life? The ones that surprise the heck out of ya which come out of the dark and you were just unable to control. Each situation can make you feel so different and they can happen so quickly, it's hard to realize where something went when it was standing right in front of you just seconds before. 


Like my experiences with a roller coaster, the situations that give you chills, sky high anxiety of all the bad balled up into one, sort of like The Titan at Six Flags.

Received from Google Images

Although The Titan is all open air with no tunnels or surprising drops {from what I remember seeing from outside the gate}. You can see how long it will take the buggy of passengers to crank its way to the very top of the world and you can see how fast, those riding, make their way down to the bottom in seconds of what I would call "hell on earth." {Can you tell how much I hate roller coasters? My reaction would be quite similar to Josh Elliot's in this video.} 


The roller coasters I've been forced to experience last, probably, no longer than three minutes {give or take}. Those three-ish minutes can seem like an eternity. An eternity of built up surprises continuing to occur beginning from the time I stand in line, then to the time I step my foot in the buggy, and lasting through the end of the ride. I would find ways to "deal" with each second and try to position myself to be most comfortable and stable until the ride comes to a complete stop. Even after the ride is over, there's the unwanted adrenaline and shock of what just happened. How can I calm myself and get my emotions under control? What do I need to do in order to feel like I'm safe again?


When situations in life are similar to the way I explained as a roller coaster, there is an end, but the feeling it brings can seem like it will last a life time. You can't see when the storm clouds will part in order for the sun to shine again and you can't see how the situation will change you in the future. Past experiences can assist with recovering and dealing with such emotions from the situation occurrence, but each situation is different. Sometimes completely different, but bring similar feelings and emotions as ones from the past. Until it's all said and done, each day will always seem longer than 24 hours and each minute will always seem longer than 60 seconds. In the end, 'what doesn't kill you makes you stronger.' {Thanks, Kelly Clarkson}


Of course, I can't write a blog post without a quote {or sign I found on Pinterest}. So to end this, here are a few that can be relatable to these situations we all experience in life:
"WORST BATTLE: what I know vs what I feel."
"You never know how strong you are until strong is the only choice you have."
"It will all be okay in the end. If it's not okay, then it's not the end."
"Fall seven times, stand up eight."- Japanese Proverb


Love.