Day 19 - A roller coaster that makes you laugh

Big Dipper, Geauga Lake
From a numbers standpoint, this ride is against everything I believe in. It is not tall, steep, or fast. The ride itself is especially short as well. This is not surprising for a roller coaster built in 1925; however, this ride packed a punch until it closed in 2007 with the rest of the park (sob). Every hill offered EXTREME airtime. It was a ride I rode just to check off the list, but it offered so much more than I expected. The only response one can have after this short and sweet classic is a laughter-filled "Let's go again!

Note: The Big Dipper was a wooden roller coaster (out and back type) located at the now defunct Geauga Lake Amusement Park in Bainbridge Lake, Ohio. It originally opened in 1925 as the Sky Rocket. In the 1940s it was renamed the Clipper, and in 1969, it claimed the moniker of Big Dipper. Though the park closed in 2007, the ride remains in the original location.

Psalm 126:2 NAS

“Then our mouth was filled with laughter and our tongue with joyful shouting; Then they said among the nations, "The LORD has done great things for them."

Once I was on the metro in Washington and a young lady succumbed to an uncontrollable fit of laughter. It was so contagious that soon her partner was laughing, and whoever wasn’t laughing in the car was certainly grinning. Laughter is an amazing thing. It is healing, and the Bible says it is good for the bones. This has been verified by health studies.

The best reason for laughter is because God is Good and has done great things for you. Laughter is attractive and irresistibly draws you closer to others. Laughter reduces stress, helps you deal with pain, and increases your ability to push through a rough situation.

Every day we need a good dose of laughter. My Grandparents did not laugh much. I suppose life was serious business for the generation of war and Depression. But my nuclear family loved to laugh, and we still share private and public merriment when we communicate with each other. If you have a relationship that needs some mending, find something to laugh about together. Humor builds trust and confidence. Every day, you have a choice.  Don’t let laughter leave your life as you get older.

Rollercoaster Challenge Day 18

 – A rollercoaster that no one would expect you to love

Spinning Dragons, Worlds of Fun

This is a spinning roller coaster, which means your car actually spins as you roll along the track, thus providing a different ride every single time. These are branded as junior/family roller coasters, but they are actually quite intense as you are continually plastered against your seat as a result of centripetal acceleration. Hang on as you rotate through five stories of hairpin turns and plummeting spirals. Six Flags has some nice Tony Hawk themed versions of this ride, but Spinning Dragons is the top of its class, along with its clone, which resides in the Mall of America.

Psalm 119: 141-144

Though I am lowly and despised. I do not forget your precepts. Your righteousness is everlasting and your law is true.

Trouble and distress have come upon me, but your commands are my delight.

Your statues are forever right; give me understanding that I may live.

Some rollercoaster aficionados would look down their noses as this slow-moving “family” coaster. I know I also have felt lowly and despised. I asked myself, “Why don’t they listen to me? Why doesn’t the boss think I am doing a good job?” Or one might lament, “Nothing I do is good enough, or I’m not employable.” Perhaps you’ve even been fired unfairly or been bullied or taken advantage of.

We all have fallen into the trap of judging ourselves by someone else’s standards and have come out with a low opinion of ourselves. I’ve been there and felt the hurt and anger and unfairness of it all.  It is then I must make a choice. Do I go on nursing these feelings of being lonely and despised, or do I trust in God’s everlasting truth? I dare not rehash the slights and ill treatments. Instead of harboring unforgiveness, I absolutely must follow God’s precepts. His law is true. He is the Everlasting One. Look in God’s Word and see that you are His beautiful creation. He loved you so much that He sent His own Son to free you from the guilt and penalty of your sin. You are a delight to God; and through His Word, you will gain light and understanding to live.