Riding the Wheel

by LisaYak

Many people insist that Life is a roller coaster ride, with its ups and downs, hairpin twists and turns…but I say it’s more like a Ferris Wheel.

Getting a good seat on the Wheel, well, that’s just a crapshoot. We all start out at the same place, but before the ride even begins, some of us are raised up to a higher level than others. There’s no rhyme or reason to it…it’s all about luck. You get on, strap yourself in, and off you go.

The ride starts slowly at first, then gradually picks up speed. When you’re at the top of the Wheel, it can be scary or exhilarating, depending on how you look at it. You can glance up and almost touch the clouds, feeling closer to Heaven than you ever thought possible. Gaze straight out at the beauty in front of you, and it’s easy to forget there’s anyone else in the world but you….you feel like the master of all you survey, powerful and superior. Looking down, you see just far you’ve come, and how lonely it can be at the top. You also realize, with a sinking feeling in the pit of your stomach, that now that you’ve reached the apex, there’s nowhere to go but down.

When you find yourself at the bottom of the wheel, it’s a different story entirely. As you sit there, all you can see are the folks who are higher up than you. It’s like you’re invisible to everyone else on the ride. Times like those, it helps to remember the people still waiting on line for their chance to even get on, or the folks who’ve already had their turn and are off exploring the rest of the carnival. This is your shot, and if you sit there analyzing your place on the Wheel, you’ll be too busy to enjoy the ride. Just sit back and let it all go, and know that it’s not about how often you get to the top that’s important, but the fun you have in getting there.

Round and round and round. Up to the highest heights, and down again. The end of the ride is also unpredictable, because you never know who’s going to exit first. Doesn’t matter if you were the last one on, and your ride was shorter than most other folks…if the guy controlling the wheel tells you it’s your time to get off, that’s that. Time to move along, so that others can have their turn.

No one said Life was fair, because it isn’t. But just like that big ole Ferris Wheel, it can be a helluva fun ride while it lasts.