Only thing we have to fear

“

Only thing we have to fear… is fear itself.”

With those words, President Franklin D. Roosevelt calmed a panicked nation and set a very high bar for future Inaugural speechwriters.

Sometimes fear is an emotion that sneaks up suddenly and works fast to incapacitate.

This photo represents is one of my earliest experiences.

I’m not the kid, but that is the old Cyclone roller coaster once a main attraction of the legendary Palisades Park.

Located across from Manhattan on the New Jersey side of the Hudson River it was constantly advertised on summertime TV, comic books and on radio by iconic 60’s DJ “Cousin Brucie”.

I begged, pleaded and cajoled for years to go.

Finally, at age ten my dream came true. We arrived at twilight as the temperatures diminished along with the entrance fee prices. New York’s epic skyline twinkled from the east.

Did we start on calmer rides to get acclimated?

Hell, no not with my father.

Never one to “baby” me because I was a girl, we left Mom and still too little to reach this line younger brother on the sidelines and headed for the Cyclone.

My father’s enthusiasm became mine until we stood in line.

How high was that wooden and steel structure? How was fun elicited among screams of panic? Was this really safe? Did Dad know what he was doing?

Each question birthed another frightening one especially while our car rocked, rattled and rolled to a clackety rhythm as we slowly headed up the tracks.

“Here it comes,” shouted Dad.

I never had a chance to ask what it was before being whipped back and forth by motion and river winds.\\

My howls of terror increased with every rapid descent, twist and turn. Trying to extract a white handkerchief from my open purse to signal surrender I only succeeded in reining its contents down on the onlookers.

“Great, huh?”

I yelled back truthfully.

“I’m having a heart attack! I’m dyingggggggg!”

Until the cars finally stopped my cries of immediate impending demise continued. With terra firma again established fear fled

Realizing my distress had been unfounded I turned to my father and asked the inevitable…

“Can we go again?”

Lesson learned from his negative response is that fear of the unknown often robs us of a rich(er) experience. Acknowledge trepidation and conquer it through trust and intuition,

You’ll be fine.

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