Riding a rollercoaster takes our bodies through a whirlwind of emotions. We experience our highest highs, lowest lows, and everything in between. We feel safe but are prone and exposed to danger. We experience the unexpected and live in the moment. It can be said that life is like a rollercoaster. Throughout our lives we are continuously riding a rollercoaster through time. We constantly progress forward, but don’t always know what is right ahead of us. Ups, downs, twists, and turns always pop up and create obstacles for us to pass. We feel safe but are always vulnerable to the rest of the world. There are even some times when we feel we are at a standstill in our lives, where the rollercoaster has broken down. [Wow! This is great!]

One thing that puts the thrill into riding a rollercoaster is the ups, downs, twists, and turns that exist throughout the track. Emotions build as the rollercoaster climbs the hill and when it peaks at the top our adrenaline rushes. In life, we experience events that we [for which we] absolutely cannot wait for; [a]nticipation builds up to the event. However, after the experience occurs, all emotion drains out and that rush ends as quickly as it began. On the other end of the spectrum, there are always times when we feel like we have just hit rock bottom. Just like on a rollercoaster, you can only go so far down before things start to pick up and look brighter again. Twists and turns are also constantly thrown our way. One day you feel like you are on top of the world and the next day you feel like your world has been flipped upside down. These feelings can be triggered by minor events such as a bad test grade, break-up, or a fight with friends. More major events could include a death in the family, illness, or being fired. All of these things can have the same effect just with different levels of intensity. Rollercoasters present us with many twists and turns throughout the ride, just as we would experience in life.

Before riding a rollercoaster, we want to make sure that they have restraints that will be effective in protecting us in case of an emergency or malfunction. If we feel secure, even though we know we are vulnerable to danger, we will be more likely to take the risk. In life, there are many things that make us feel secure. Having a place to live, police, fire department, locks, family, and friends all assist in making us feel safe. Not everyone may be fortunate enough to have all of these things but having even one security blanket helps to raise one’s confidence to venture out in the world. Rollercoasters also have the possibility of breaking down. Many times in life people feel like they are at a standstill. They do not feel like they are accomplishing anything that they set out to do, and because of this they feel like they are not moving. Just like with rollercoasters, this standstill is only temporary. As time moves forward, things need to be reexamined, priorities set into place, and the ride will be running in no time.

One counter argument that many people may have against this analogy [It could be said that life is unlike a rollercoaster because] is that a rollercoasters always run [on] one track. When viewing the ride from the ground, we can see where the ride goes and know that the track will never actually change. It is almost like a predetermined path in life. However, this argument can help in the analogy. When sitting in the rollercoaster, it is impossible to see the entire track. As the ride goes up the hill, you are unable to see the top and what comes after it. At the peak, more is revealed. Around many twists, you can only see so much in front of you before the ride jerks you in another direction. This is the same as in life. Many times we know where we want life to go but it is hard to see how to get there. We may be able to see a week or so in advance and know what we are doing then, but predicting where we will be years from now is much more difficult. Just when we think we know where we are headed, a twist is thrown our way and our path turns completely around. On a rollercoaster, we know that if we get on, we are bound to get off in several minutes. In comparison, when we are born, it is evident that sometime off in the future we will die. This is inevitable, but the things that happen in between are hard to see and are much more unpredictable.

In closing, I see it very fit to say that life is like a rollercoaster. Those who choose to live hop on the ride knowing that not everything is going to go as expected and both good and bad experiences will occur. Those who are afraid to get the most out of life will be the ones who are just watching the ride go and are too scared to experience it for themselves. Throughout life, highs, lows, twists, turns, and breakdowns will all be experienced. These, however, are the things that make life worth living and give us something to remember and treasure. These memories will serve to be our souvenirs at the end of the ride.