Enjoy the Ride

by Kami Cornwall

Luckily the gunky head-cold fog didn't set in until the night I came home from the retreat in Rosario. I was thankful I was still clear and healthy enough to present a class and enjoy all those I attended. So as I was sitting curled up on the couch yesterday with my 6-year-old watching 'America's Funniest Home Videos' and they played a montage of people going up on a roller-coaster, my mind flashed back to my first scary roller-coaster ride.

The first thing you should know is that peer pressure works. I would never have gone on the ride by myself. Yvonne was a wild, carefree, live-by-the-seat-of-your-pants kind of girl and was giving me the pep-talk of my life. Then this tall dark (and yes...handsome) guy in line turned around and recognizing me, grinned wide and asked, "You've never gone on the Zipper before?" He reassured me with honeyed words that I would be fine, it's not that scary, and that in fact it was a rite of passage every teen should go through. He was an upper-classman who I respected (and kind of crushed on) so I acted brave, got in with Yvonne, and braced myself for the worst as dark regret set in at the ominous sound of the seat locking us in place.

For the record, screaming helps. It's funny when you're watching 'AFV' but I completely get it. Also pretending you're doing back-flips in gymnastics helps not feeling like you're going to hurl. When it was all over my body felt like jello but my spirit was invigorated. I felt so empowered! I did it! Me! To this day when I think about a task at hand that seems hard or scary, I compare it to the 'Zipper', my new measuring stick. Is it 'Zipper' scary? And how did I feel after I got through it? So bring it on! Send in that manuscript! Read that rejection letter! Apply for that job! I can take it. I rode the 'Zipper'...and survived to tell the tale.