Most urban kids grow up listening stories about roller coasters. Wide-eyed older sibling over excitedly gesture as they discuss the latest, scariest, coolest rollercoaster that they just rode at the amusement part. They just can’t seem to get over the experience and want to go for the ride again and again. Other stories relate the horror and fear that people feel as they zip through rickety tracks in an open air cart, swearing never to ride a roller coaster again!
Children hear this tale so many times that, by the time they get to the amusement park, they can hardly stay still. But fate, and a certain deficiency in height, deny them the pleasure of getting on the roller coaster and all they can do is watch frenzied taller teenagers scurry to fill the roller coaster seats. Their jaws drop as they hear the joy riders scream, some out of fear, other out of thrill. The roller awes the children who can’t wait to get on one themselves.
Eventually, the kids grow older, and taller, and finally get a chance to ride the roller coaster of their dreams. They stand in long queues, heart throbbing faster and faster as they reach the front of the line. The coaster itself feels surreal, like an object out of a dream. Finally, all the speculating and anticipation ends and they experience the ‘real deal’. Breaths held, they impatiently wait through the slow, steep climb before plunging headlong into the dizzying rush of adrenaline blended with fearsome, helpless fun!
And just like their older counterparts, some kids love the ride and queue up for another round, and another. Others are left traumatized, to scared of the prospect of being hurt. Their reactions shape their decision on whether they will take another roller coaster ride or not. However, no matter what path they choose, the first roller coaster ride is embedded in their memory for life.
Now, think of the first time you heard people talking about falling in love. Whether it is a young girl giggling when talking to her best friend about the boy she met at summer camp, or the boy who tells his friends just how cool the next door is, the adrenaline rush of being in love is evident in everything that they say or do. Over time, you heard about first dates, first kisses, first fights and eventual break ups. You came across people who had been hurt by the person they loved and their belief in love was shattered. Other just moved on till they found a new love, a new joy.
Isn’t falling in love much like riding a roller coaster? You knew about the risks involved in taking a roller coaster ride. Accidents happen, you thought, and just because someone had an unlucky ride, it doesn’t mean that your experience will be bad too. You just had to experience it yourself! You just needed to know how it felt to be in love. You waited and waited for the right person to come along, certain that your love story will be unique.
When you do meet that special someone, it takes you a little while to confess your love to each other. You feel a similar anticipation as you did before your first roller coaster ride, on the steep climb. And after the ‘I love you too’, for a moment, you feel as though you are at the top of the world. Unfortunately, this is the moment before the fall! Pretty soon you are going through a scary phase of highs and lows, not knowing what to expect from your partner, not even knowing how to react in tricky situations. The first time around, everything is intuitive, a trial and error, ‘let’s see how it goes’ phase.
You share a love and hate relationship with these twists and turns, rises and falls on the track of love. However, you don’t immediately realize that it constant state of volatility, this element of surprise that was keeping you interested in the ride. Once you have been on the same roller coaster again and again, you can predict the exact second in which a turn is expected and before you know it, the roller coaster feels more like a love boat ride, just cruising along. This phase too holds the interest of some, those who are not really enjoying the ride but are actually in love with the company of the person sitting next to them!
Others, however, eventually get bored of the monotony of the experience with nothing new to look forward too. In such cases, the roller coaster either needs to go a complete renovation, or you simply look for a new, more thrilling ride. Unfortunately, there are only so many times a roller coaster can be upgraded in its life time. Fortunately, love can mean a life time of innovation, invention and rediscovering the same special person, over and over again. One should keep it in mind though that roller coasters come with disclaimers and legal papers, so you can sue someone if they break your bones. You really can’t sue anyone for breaking your heart. Bones can be mended, flesh can be healed but a broken heart can only be replaced, by stealing one from your next love!
