Joy rides in our life

Right from the time we are born, yes from that very moment we get used to joy rides. Mom carrying us in her arms, dad becoming either a horse or a piggy back and the thrill we get from it! Then come the merry go round, tumbling box, giant wheel and as we grow older the amusement parks have even more joy rides to offer, each one more thrilling than the other. We enjoy every bit of it, that churning feeling in our tummy, the screams, holding on to our companion as tightly as possible, but we are sure do enjoy every moment of it. How do we react to the joy rides in our life?

River rafting too is a sport that very subtly gives us an insight into life. Geared with our life jackets we venture into the Ganges for river rafting, all set to face the rapids that come our way. There are some rapids that literally throw us off balance, yet, we survive the rapid. As we drift along in the calm river again, there is excitement building up to gear up for the next rapid. Having experienced the highs of river rafting, I quietly sat by the Ganges that evening and watched it flow by. The lamps lit by many pilgrims reflecting a beautiful yellow orange flame on the river had something else to say to me. Life too gives you its share of rapids – how do you react? How often do you say why me?

So true, I thought to myself. Life’s rapids come to us in the forms of various experiences – some pleasant and some not so pleasant. The pleasant ones we accept willingly while the unpleasant ones we crib about. Come to think of it, how boring life would be if it was a straight smooth sail drifting along. It is the rapids in our lives that strengthen us, gives us a high, a low. Growth happens when we go through the rapids in our lives.

These are the joy rides of our lives. Life is sometimes smooth going round and round like the merry go round, sometimes like the giant wheel – up and down and up again. But at the end of it all, it’s nothing but a joy ride.

So, enjoy life, enjoy the joy ride.