A Rite of Passage

All cultures have rites of passage - a test or a task that needs completion - something to prove a person is ready to move into the next stage of life. Well, last Wednesday, August 19, 2009, I completed a rite of passage. I had no warning I was about to be tested - no inclination that my life was about to undergo a monumental change....

We had traveled that morning to Lake George, NY and entered the Six Flags Great Escape park in the heat and humidity of early afternoon. We meandered our way to the "Loony Tunes" part of the park and the girls began knocking out the kiddie rides one right after another. The park had all the classic kid rides - the airplanes, the cars, the boats, the train, the swings, the hopper, the sky bus and even a roller coaster! The lines were short and more than once they were able to come off a ride only to re-enter the line and get right back on. They were having a blast.

I was hot. I tried to watch them going round and round from any small spot of shade I could find. I clicked pictures and energetically waved and smiled each time they came round for about the first 2 hours and then it got old. So I started to reminisse about my childhood and the amusement park rides that I loved. After a couple hours of that I wanted to do something - ride something. I wanted to move out of the kiddie area where one must be 54" or shorter to ride. The clock was ticking. It was nearing 5 pm. The park was on shortened hours of operation as the start of the school year was fast approaching. and would close at 7.

I talked the kids into moving on to find something to eat and maybe ride a couple of "family" rides. On our way to an eatery we came to the "Trabant." I was eager to ride - food could wait. I had been sitting out watching the fun for long enough - I wanted to feel the thrill of excitement - I wanted to enjoy the fun, not to mention the rush of the wind would definitely be a nice break from the heat.

Loren was up for it so we entered the gates and got right on. Loren rode with Emma and Lucy was with me. Before the ride started I snapped a couple of pictures and Lucy and I giggled in excitement.














Then it started. Around and around we spun. Faster and faster. Then the platform we were spinning on lifted and shifted up and down, side to side as all the while we continued to go round and round. The ride was in full tilt and Lucy made fun sounds like, "Whoaoaoaoa! Whoaoaoaoaoa!" At one point she asked, "Isn't this fun, Mommy?" I just took a deep breath and squeezed my eyes shut hoping that by not actually seeing the landscape spinning around me I might fool my body into thinking all was well and the overwhelming feeling of motion sickness would subside enough for me to exit the ride without the attendant having to clean up after me.

Maybe my idea worked or maybe my stomach was stronger than I gave it credit for. Either way I survived without publically embarassing myself. I told Loren I was feeling a bit green so he and the girls checked out the map for a nearby place to eat as I sat on a stone wall in the shade for a moment to gather myself. Once I was sure I wasn't going to need a restroom, I picked up my head from where it hung and opened my eyes. In front of me was the "Trabant" spinning and whirlling with a new set of passengers. It didn't look all that monumental. It didn't look life changing. It didn't look like a testing ground. But regardless of how it appeared, it was monumental. It was life changing. It had indeed tested me, and I had passed. No longer was I a member of the young, fun-loving, go-faster, give-me-more, let's-do-it-again generation. I had passed, officially, into the party-pooper, sit-and-watch, yes-I-know-I'm-boring group of people I thought one need be much older to belong to.

After that, I spent my time people watching from the side lines. I admired those my equal or older who dared take on such rides as the Pirate Ship and the Merry-Go-Round. I smiled meekly with understanding at others who sat out, looking in from the outside. I thought fondly of childhood and happy memories spun and whirled about me as I tried to come to grips with the fact that I would never again come out of an exit gate smiling.