Stomach in my throat

Last month, one of my friends had a birthday and we all planned a Road Trip. Normally, I love these. I love getting away from the ritual - the routine - of my daily life. We all decided to go to Orlando to visit the Parks. I get to Orlando a few times a year, whether it's to visit a great resort or stay with family or friends. It's the perfect drive-to destination from where I live in South Florida. How I used to drive 8 hours each way from home to college (New York to Virginia) back in the day amazes me still.

Anyway, I will admit that I have never been a fan of amusement parks in general. I don't really get afraid of things. What gets me is that "stomach in your throat" feeling. I hate it. Just thinking about it gets me queasy. So, of course, I agreed to the trip with a bit of trepidation. Never one to be a drag at the party, I knew I would force myself to go on every ride. I was not going to be that loser sitting on the sideline missing the action.

So, we go on some of the regular rides and I do fine. Then, we get to ‘Hollywood Rip, Ride, Rockit’ - the new ride they opened last year. There is no Express Lane for the ride because it was new. I CANNOT believe this. I had to endure 90 minutes of waiting – time for me to think about the ride and how I was going to get through it. My palms were sweating. I was feeling dizzy. I see kids around 10 or 11, laughing with their friends. How can these little pipsqueaks be fearless? Here I am almost done with my twenties and I’m scared out of my mind.

I’m buckled into my seat – in the first row of course. It’s the best spot to enjoy the death drop. The ride begins and there is the ascent up to the top and then the usual drop straight down before the twists and turns. That’s when the “stomach in my throat” feeling usually hits. For some reason, this time was different. I didn’t get that feeling. Maybe it was because I kept my eyes open. It is definitely true that when you close your eyes, it makes it worse. After the ride was over, one phrase reverberated through my head.

“THAT WAS AWESOME.”

I was happy to face my fears. I just needed a little nudge from my friends. Sometimes that is all you need. All I needed to do was take a short car trip to Orlando.