Independence

I remember quite clearly on a hot Summer's day my family and I took a trip to a theme park. The park echoed with the sounds of laughter and the rumble of the rides containing them. It had been a good 2 years since my last visit to an amusement park and it was safe to say that my excitement was getting the best of me. I remember thinking of the endless choices I could make and which ride I would conquer first because this was the year I was finally tall enough to ride the real rides. No more slow trains and spinning cups I thought to myself (bear in mind I was 10). As I walked down the crowded streets I wondered which ride I would pick, but as I approached what loomed before me all other choices seemed dwarfed in comparison to this monster.

The roller coaster known as "The Hulk" rose high up into the air with arches and turns not for the faint of heart. From the entrance of the ride I heard the screams of delighted passengers as they flew threw the sky on that green metal chariot and in that moment I knew this would be my first roller coaster. Amazed by the sights and sounds I took in I urged my family to come with me onto the metal contraption. Unfortunately my family did not share my enthusiasm, my mother and father were apparently prone to motion sickness, and my brother, afraid of heights. It would appear I would brave the unknown alone, without anyone to guide me I would plunge into the deep end alone.

Reluctantly, I made my way through the line, not sure if I should continue alone, yet drawn forward by the screams of joy and the thunder of machinery. At last the moment had come. I strapped myself into my chair and awaited whatever might have come next. The centipede of metal chairs slowly began to move toward it's track which to my excitement was up a steep ramp. As my metal chariot rose ever higher into the sky my enthusiasm rose as well. Then, almost instantly, the ride shot forward into the open sky, like an eagle flying above the ground. As I flew through the air an undeniable laughter overtook me as I felt a new type of joy I had to experience, freedom. Never before had I gone on my own and faced the unknown like I did. In that moment it was like a baby eagle jumping out of his nest and discovering that he could soar over those who didn't take the same chance as he. Maybe it was just the adrenaline I was feeling at the time but to me, had I stayed with my family and not taken a chance on my own I would have never experienced that joy.