The Amusement Park

There’s something about an amusement park that brings out the kid in people. It’s not just the rides but the whole atmosphere of fun and, well, for lack of a better word, amusement. The shows, the music, the games, and of course, the food. I learned long ago not to stuff myself with caramel apples, cotton candy, taffy, and ice cream - not if I wanted to enjoy myself the rest of the time at the park. Not that I get sick on the rides, although I have always found it ironic that amusement parks and carnivals sell all this type of food to people who then go on numerous wild rides, twisting and turning upside down and sideways at high speeds. It’s no wonder that some people have a little difficulty keeping their food down. For me, I just don’t like all that sugary food at once; I’d rather eat real food.

Up until this past week, it had been several years - 6 or 7 I think - since I’d been to an amusement park. Last week we went on a three-day mini vacation with family and friends to a theme park. The first day there, I discovered that evidently, I’ve aged a bit in the last few years. The rides, which I always loved, weren’t real nice to me. It seems they’ve started making them rougher and more backbreaking than they used to be. And then there was all the walking. I’m a truck driver, which means I sit all day long, not stand in lines and walk. But I still love the rides so, with tired muscles and an aching back, I hobbled along from one to the next; multiple roller coasters, the Cork Screw, the Flume, Thunder Canyon, Panic Plunge and After Shock, etc. I was intent on not missing any of the thrill.

The next morning, it was a little difficult to get moving. But after an hour or so, (and a handful of ibuprofen) I was back to normal - at least as normal as can be expected for an “old man” as my children refer to me. But as I stated at the beginning of this blog, there’s something about an amusement park that brings out the kid in people. Though I had to pay a little more with all the aches and pains, it was still fun and I eagerly went back the second day for more - the wilder the rides, the better. On second thought, instead of bringing out the kid in me, maybe it caused some sort of brain damage resulting in a lapse of judgment. But then, a lot of people would say a lapse in judgment comes from being a kid. So, I guess I was right to begin with.

Bruce A. Borders, author and songwriter has over 500 songs and more than a dozen books. Over My Dead Body, The Journey, and Miscarriage Of Justice, his latest books, are available on Apple I-Pad®, Amazon Kindle®, Barnes & Noble Nook® and Sony Reader®, Kobo, Diesel Books, and Smashwords. For more information, visit www.bruceaborders.com. See Bruce’s Amazon Author Page at www.amazon.com/author/bruceaborders or view his Smashwords Profile at www.smashwords.com/profile/view/BruceABorders