Carnival Comes to Town

Bright lights glittered in the hot, dusty air. Blaring music blended with the shouts of scared and excited children as the rides dipped, hurled, swirled, bounced, jounced, and tilted them in all directions. Parents snapped pictures and guarded half-eaten snacks when the kiddos abandoned the food for yet another run down the big slide. The carnival had arrived!

As I surveyed the scene and accompanied my granddaughter on some of the gentler rides (thank goodness a friend came along and offered to take her on the scarier ones), an analogy came to my mind about how we live our lives. Okay, I guess that's the writer in me!

Those who simply exist on a daily basis are Ferris wheel folk. They sit safe and secure in a chair that gently escorts them to the top of the ride where they can gaze down on all that is going on around them. They watch everyone else having a good time on the midway, but there is no risk and no danger.

Then there are those people who like to fly a little. Enter the flying swings. Their surroundings pass by in a blur of color, sound, and motion as they embrace the wind on their cheeks and give in to the giddy uncertainty of dizziness.. The sensation of flying, almost a sense of weightlessness, takes over. They believe they can do almost anything and attack life like it is true!

Move on to one of the more daring rides, which I'm sure is identified by different names. Lovers of this one find themselves locked inside a cage, then rocketed away, not only in a giant circle, but as centrifugal force takes over, spun upside down. This one is for the people who let things happen to them, pleasant or unpleasant (sometimes the effect of this ride on the stomach is most unpleasant), and allow themselves to be swept into circumstances beyond their control with no way out.

The super slide is not for the faint of heart. Usually towering at a formidable height, it nevertheless affords some level of control. Those who ride can choose when to push off from the top. Once they launch themselves down the slippery groove, though, they are

challenged by bumps that threaten to unseat them as they sail through the air on their magic burlap carpet and coast to a gradual stop.

Sea Dragon riders start out with a continuous sway back and forth that rapidly increases in speed and lifts them to ever loftier heights. This one is for people who are look for ways to move up the ladder and enjoy the challenges when they get there. Yet, their feet stay rooted to the firmly on the floor.

How about the house of mirrors. This non-threatening attraction is comparable to those who travel the mazes of life never quite sure where they are going. In their attempt to seek a way out, they encounter the one thing that inhibits their progress - themselves!

Whether you spend your time on the rides or sitting on a bench stuffing your face with nachos and funnel cake,

there is something for everyone at the carnival.

Which ride represents the way you lead your life?

Thanks for reading my blog!