Life is A Merry Go Round: Enjoy the Ride

Life is Just like A Merry Go Round: Enjoy the Ride & Get Off…

“You don’t really understand human nature unless you know why a child on a merry-go-round will wave at his parents every time around – and why his parents will always wave back. William D. Tammeus

Merry Go Round: Like Life...

Another Merry Go Round: Fun on Bear Mountain via Virtual Tourist

As I mentioned in another post, I joined MamKat’s Writer’s Workshop and the goal is to write on one of several topics each week. Kathy of MamaKat’s sends weekly prompts and we choose one from a list, write on it, then add it to a page link where everyone gathers to submit their completed piece, click on other blogs, and give comments/support to at least three other bloggers. I submitted two blogs and chose a different prompt for my Positive Kismet blog from the list.

This week’s assignment/selection:
Write a post that begins and ends with a merry-go-round.

I spent a small part of my childhood on playgrounds and amusement parks and the merry go rounds were always a fun part of that experience. The roundabouts as they called them in England came in myriad designs … mirroring the many ways we view the world we inhabit. As Tammeus suggests, there is much to be said about the security that comes from knowing that even when we venture out into the world on our own and wave goodbye, our loves ones; parents and kin, wait around the corner cheering us on – simultaneously waving goodbye and welcoming us back into the fold.

Even though my children are a bit old for playgrounds and amusement parks, I’ll still jump at the chance to take a ride on a roundabout also known as a merry-go-round. A Merry-go-round/carousel/roundabout is a popular, brightly colored an amusement ride on a rotating platform with decorative seats and, sometimes, really loud music. I chuckled when I decided to select this topic because merry-go-rounds were a big part of my childhood; they are huge wood and metal spinning structures with endless animal, mermaid, and other creative designs for seats … and loud, haunting music.

I loved the rides although, at times, the fast spin made me nauseous and the somewhat bumpy ride left me with a headache. There was something magical about the roundabouts that gave free reign to the imagination. In retrospect, one could say they conjure up images that extend beyond the playful to other things in life. The bright lights of life welcome us to the playground and take us for a spin; sometimes bumpy, at other times smooth and filled with music. We can react in a happy, sad, angry or fearful manner but no matter our reaction, the ride, like life, continues until it’s time to get off. Of course, it is our collective wish to have a great ride but that is where our thoughts, actions, and kismet come into play.

“If I had my life to live over, I would start barefoot earlier in the spring and stay that way later in the fall. I would go to more dances. I would ride more merry-go-rounds. I would pick more daisies.” Nadine Stair

Merry Go Round too: Here's the Columbia Carousel - Tallest of all

A Merry Go Round: The Journey Begins and ... Ends by Andrew Dunn

Oddly enough, aside from my childhood memories of merry-go-round rides, the first thought that popped in my head was the nursery rhyme below. Odd because anyone who has read up on it knows it has more to do with the plague and dying than a fun thing as a merry go-round or carousel. But there lies the irony; life is a merry go round; it is filled with ups and downs, joyful and joyless moments, sacrifices and celebrations, and ultimately, life and death… We celebrate the birth of new life in our midst and reunite to celebrate and honor our elderly family members when they depart. It is like a Ring of Rosies…(bu the way, there are numerous versions of this rhyme, I picked the one I grew up singing in kindergarten) Which version did you learn?

Ring a ring a rosie
A pocketful of posies
a-tishoo!, a-tishoo!
We all fall down.
Followed by
The cows are in the meadow,
Eating buttercups,
ah-tishoo, ah-tishoo.
they all jump up

A quote I remember from childhood which always made me laugh was: “You’ll make up on the horses what you lost on the roundabouts…” How true. Our lives are filled with opportunities to contribute, grow, learn from bad experiences and hopefully, come through much of it unscathed and with a positive attitude. The give and take of life leads, invariably, to gains and losses but if we understand the power of the phrase, “Pay it Forward -Give to Get” then the shifting sands of life are seen for what they are: Lessons on the path.

On the merry go round of life, we climb up and hold on with all our might, knowing that a moment of distraction could lead to injury or worse. We enjoy the highs, manage the hurts and in many cases, offer the rest to the Creator with a knowing that all is well. We do gain and lose things in life and the hope is that at the end, it all balances out. Doesn’t it? Enjoy the life you have. What’s your merry go round ride like? Is there an amusement park ride that resonates on another level for you? Share your version of the merry go round!

PHOTO CREDITS:
Merry Go Round: like Life ~ via My PhysicalTherapyspace
Another Merry Go Round ~ via the VirtualTourist
Merry Go Round too ~ via Wikipedia
A Merry Go Round: ~ via Andrew Dunn in Wikipedia
Search for Photos ~ courtesy of Google Images/Photobucket

Until Next Time…
Ask. Believe. Receive. ©
Elizabeth Obih-Frank