We all have fears, but it is easy to ignore them. At the end of the day, our fears are looking at us right between our eyes. I wanted to share a recent experience I had on trying to let go of fear, and maybe it will inspire you to try new things.
My partner and I recently went to Cedar Point. I am terrified of roller coasters. In my mind, a coaster is just a convenient box people are buckled into, in which they fly around on a rail at inhumane speeds and unfathomable heights. Don’t get me wrong, though; I totally envy people who enjoy roller coasters. However, the thought of spinning upside down and being thrown around like a rag doll makes me queasy.
Since I was at Cedar Point, I knew I had to get on a coaster; it was inevitable. I needed to relax and understand that I had to get it done and over with. I wanted to prove to myself that I could face a little fear. I figured that if hundreds of people got on the rides every day, what are the odds that I would skyrocket off the railing and plummet to my death? Maybe I was overthinking.
Since I like to overthink, I also found the statistic of how likely it is for someone to die on a coaster, and according to the International Association of Amusement Parks and Attractions, the odds are one in 750 million, which seemed morbid. I could be lucky number 750 million, but that was not going to stop me. I had to let go of my fear.
Once my partner and I got in line for our first coaster, I was feeling positive. I saw a lot of old people get on and off the ride, which was the Cedar Creek Mine Ride. We got on the ride in the first row. I did not want to be in the first row, because now, if we flew off the rail, I would be the first to hit the ground, but that was just a sacrifice I had to make.
My heart was racing, and my stomach was doing so many flips that I was almost positive I was having contractions in my gut. The ride attendant quickly told us to cross our legs before we took off. I immediately had questions. Should I be more worried about my legs? Was there a chance something could happen to my legs? Should I be asking more questions about the safety of my legs? But I had no time for questions. I had to relax.
I rode the entire ride and bellowed out screams and groans that probably terrified anyone who was listening. I was no longer a person riding a ride; I had turned into entertainment for the whole roller coaster because there were strangers laughing at how much I was screaming on this wimpy roller coaster. However, once the ride was over, the fear disappeared and the screams came to a stop.
As scary as it was, it was incredibly satisfying to know I was able to do something I had been so afraid of. If you take anything away from this, I hope you are one day able to relax during the smaller, scary things life offers.
