Six months later...

Oh how time changes

At the "fair" (aka amusement park) on Saturday, I stood in line for the coaster in kiddie land with my nine year old nephew K. (It was High Trill Ride as described by the Ride Rating System.) I nervously waited for 30 minutes, the whole time wondering if I was brave enough to ride it with him or if I would chicken out and duck through with a little wave and wish him fun when it came time to board. This conversation ran through a loop in my brain: "I'm an adult. Who cares if I ride this or not? What do I have to prove? (And would it actually prove anything if I just road a kiddie coaster?) Don't be silly. Just buck up and ride it. For goodness sake, that kid looks six years old and is talking about riding it for the third time today." K wanted to ride in the front care. I pointed out the longer wait. He saw the intelligence in this and smartly chose a row in the middle of the coaster. Our turn was next. I gathered up my resolve. I asked K if he wanted to sit on the inside or outside and he deferred to me because he was just too cool to care. I picked the inside...I had noticed there were trash cans on that side and I wasn't entirely sure if I would loose my breakfast when I exited the ride or not. The ride came back to the start and the previous riders exited. Now or never. I climbed on. About 30 seconds later I exited the coaster with a feeling of pride and my breakfast still safely in place. (Shhh...I did close my eyes for most of the ride though.)

Later I impulsively asked Nate if he wanted to ride the Danny Phantom ride where you lie on your tummy and "fly" like a ghost around and around and around and around and around and around. I gripped the handle bars and glanced at my first born next to me who on one hand seemed way to small to be riding this and on the other hand seemed way to big because he was riding this. In a moment of weakness and a selfless need to confess, I admitted to him (since he was the only person withing talking distance) that mommy was a little bit scared. He sincerely told me that didn't need to be scared because the ghosts really aren't real, they are just pretend. Besides Sonic (the invisible hedge hog) was with us and we wasn't scared either. Nate then pulled Sonic out of his pocket to show and gently put him back in. I couldn't have managed to reach in my pocket but it was pretty easy for him. Did I mention that I really wondered at that point if they had gotten the height wrong and 41 inches tall was in fact too short to be riding this ride? So I smiled at my son and agreed with him out loud that there was nothing to be scared about while in my head I kept thinking that I hoped my dinner wouldn't make an appearance again any time soon. The ride started and I watched in amazement as my three and half year old thrilled in flying like his favorite cartoon character. Then I closed my eyes and was extremely thankful a minute later be back on the ground.


It simply was a wonderful day. Not quite like I remember the "fair" being a lifetime ago, but just as magical.