Ride A Roller Coaster

I’m terrified of riding roller coasters. I wasn’t always afraid to ride roller coasters. As a child and right up until I was in my twenties I made it a goal to ride every single roller coaster at the fair, exhibition and theme park. I rode every roller coaster at Marine Land and Wonderland in Toronto and Niagara Falls, over and over again on several occasions throughout my trips there. I remember enjoying the feelings of excitement mixed with terror, plus I got a rush of confidence for being, sometimes, the only member of the group to go first. I had good memories of those times. Fast forward in life and I’m thirty- eight years old. My stepson wants to go to Wonderland for his birthday and I think it’s a stellar idea, so, we go. The day started with all the excitement and anticipation that goes along with a family trip. We arrived at the gate of Wonderland upon opening. Promptly, my stepson dragged us to the newest and scariest roller coaster in the park- The Behemoth- a ganglia of twisted metal with tiny seats that have only a waist bar, to keep you secure inside the seat. Well, let me say that I was all for it! I couldn’t wait to get on and ride. After a brief wait in line, we were locked in and moving forward. It was at this point that I realized that I wasn’t a spring chicken anymore and I started to shake. Life is short and why am I taking such risks?, thoughts ran through my head. The ride was terrifying, I’m pretty certain that I passed out for a bit. I white knuckled my way through to the end. My husband, my stepson and his friend were laughing and commenting on how much fun it was. They started getting lined up to go again. Not me… I was in, what I could only describe as, shock. I was stupefied and shaking like a leaf. I tried to talk but couldn’t. It was if my life had passed before my eyes and I took it seriously. A once loved form of entertainment had now become my greatest fear. I’m not sure what it would take me to ride a roller coaster again, I can’t fathom even considering it. However, I could possibly change my mind as my final days approach. The bucket list is still up for an edit.