Day 38: The Highs and The Lows

The only people who get hurt on a roller coaster are the ones who jump off. That's exactly what I wanted to do today. From the highs and lows, sometimes it just feels best to jump off, but as the quote suggests, that's how you usually get hurt.

There's truth to that because life is filled with plenty of highs and lows, twists and turns, and gives you all the reasons to jump off. If you knew you were going to come back down, land, and get off, why jump off anyway? Of course, it's not logical. Just as it is with life, quitting, running away, and saying no, that too is illogical.

Although it seems that a lot of other people would rather choose to run away, to take flight, some will fight. It is always best to just take the ride, enjoy the twists, and enjoy the highs. You just never know how you really feel until you open your eyes.

That reminds me of a friend. He always rode the roller coaster with his eyes closed, gripping the handlebars as if there was no tomorrow. It was humorous to watch and witness, not because he was 30+ already, but because it was all fun.
Yet there's my friend, not even realizing that if he just opened his eyes, he didn't even have to let go of his grip. He could fully experience the twists, turns, highs, and lows. It's quite ironic because that's the only reason he was afraid: he just didn't see what was going on.

He didn't see the tosses, turns, twists, or how we went up and came back down. The only time he knew he was okay was when he opened his eyes once more to see that we were done with the ride.

Now, that's in the context of what's more important: the destination or the journey. I had said just yesterday that that's a philosophical conversation in its own right and deserves its own time. This doesn't happen to be that time, but it brings us back to what should be reiterated: they're both as important, and they're both equal parts. Without the destination, there is no journey. Without a journey, how do you get to your destination?

We're left here to realize that both are beautiful aspects of life, but it is better to enjoy the journey because, once you get to that destination, your next question is, "What ride do we ride on next?" Today, I was left with that feeling: plenty of highs, plenty of lows, plenty of twists, and plenty of turns, some of which I wish weren't even part of the ride.

Sometimes in life, there are just variables you can't control, and you have to go with it. It's okay. It's best to go with those uncontrolled variables because they help you. The next time there's an uncontrolled variable, you know that you can handle it. You just have to figure it out, and you have to. It might take some time, some reflection, and some processes, but what's certain is that there will always be a solution.

Remember the next time: through the twists, turns, highs, lows, and dark tunnels, it is always best to open your eyes and realize that we are enjoying the ride.