A few weeks ago my daughter scored us tickets to a special preview of the new TRON roller coaster at Disney World’s Magic Kingdom. I’m not a huge fan of roller coasters, so I didn’t quite share her excitement. But I promised to be brave and ride alongside her.
As we walked through the queue, we could see the riders ahead of us zipping past at lightning speed – and we could hear the shrieks of delight and fear. None of which was helping my anxiety! Several times my daughter reminded me that it was okay to step out of the line if I needed to, and even as we were climbing onto our Lightcycles she pointed out the “chicken exit.”
But, true to my promise, I locked myself in, squeezed her hand one final time, and off we went, speeding up and down around curves at nearly 60 miles per hour.
I can’t say I wound up loving it. In fact, I’m certain I probably let out more than my fair share of shrieks. However, it felt good to know I was doing this incredibly scary (for me) thing with my daughter by my side. And after a minute or so of flight, we were safely done, still a bit shaky from the adrenaline and ready to swap colorful stories about our experience.
Life has felt a lot like a roller coaster in the past 3 years – lots of unexpected twists and turns, never quite being certain of what is coming next, and being tossed about by forces outside of our span of control. But thankfully we haven’t had to face the ups and downs alone. Through them all, we’ve had each other to ride alongside – to collaborate with, comfort and commiserate. Just as important, we’ve had each other to talk to and rely on.
Thanks for being with us on this journey. All of us at ALAN are truly better, braver and stronger because of you.
Kathy Fulton
Executive Director
American Logistics Aid Network
