©Mission Peak Unitarian Universalist Congregation
June 1, 2014
© Robert Jensen 2014. All Rights Reserved
© Katie Fraticelli 2014. All Rights Reserved.
Listen to Audio Version of Whole Service (mp3)
Listen to Audio Version of Both Sermons (mp3)
When I was younger, I absolutely abhorred rollercoasters. The clack their wheels make against the metal tracks. The screams and cries of people as they descend. What a blood curdling sound! Don't get me wrong, I enjoyed many different types of rides at amusement parks. But rollercoasters? Not a chance.
On one fine day, while we were at Great America - at a time when it was known as "Paramount's," rather than "California's" - my mom had decided this would be the day I got over that fear. As we passed through the security line, dodging numerous photographers offering to sell us a picture and wading our way through crowds, I saw it. Its black and red tracks towered over my head. There stood the Demon.
The Demon was no ordinary rollercoaster. As I looked at it, I looked at the path the carts were taking along the tracks. After a steep climb, followed by not one, but two upside-down loops, there was a corkscrew, just in case you weren't yet shaken up. Terrified, I looked to my mom for some form of reassurance that that rollercoaster couldn't be the one I was to ride first.
Reassuring me, my mom told me that this wasn't the one. We were going on the old rickety wooden one called the Grizzly, or so it seemed. This roller coaster was like the Demon, but with half the climb and no big twists or turns. It was by any means just your average coaster. It was then that I agreed to get in line.
Things got incredibly confusing as we approached the archway near both of the coasters. The two of them looked practically stacked on top of one another, which made it difficult to discern which line was which. After making a decision, we stood in line, snaking our way to three places behind the front of the line. My anxiety and anticipation distracted me completely from what was going on. I didn't realize until it was too late that we had indeed gotten in line for the Demon! My fate was set. This was it. I wasn't going to come out of this one alive.
After desperately begging my mom to let us leave the line, I gave in and got onto the coaster. My heart pounding, streams of tears flowing from my eyes, we set off as the unmistakable siren went off, signaling that the ride had started. The locks bolted with a throng.
My anticipation continued to build with every foot we climbed into the air. Higher, higher, higher, higher, we reached the point of no return. There was only one way down from here, and it was down! With a rush of wind, the coaster thundered down the track: gravity being the only conductor of this ride. A feeling swelled up inside my stomach as the cart lurched downwards, similar to that feeling of missing a step when you are walking in total darkness. Something else strangely happened: a smile, not a frown, emerged from my face.
What a rush! That climb, though feeling like an eternity, made the upside-down loops nothing. Whizzing past, I felt the sensation of centrifugal force acting upon my body as I was safely secured in my seat. After making it through the second loop, there was still the corkscrew, which was probably the best part of the ride. I have never felt more shaken since, yet this was a good shaken! The thrill of the ride was something I desperately craved.
Later that day, we rode on every rollercoaster in the park. Every time we go to any amusement park, a rollercoaster is always my first stop.
This sort of risk was something I would have never dreamed of putting myself up to doing. Sometimes, it's important that we take risks like this. Sometimes taking those risks takes a little bit of encouragement. I know for myself, I wouldn't have been on that ride if my mom hadn't encouraged me to do it.
I am so glad that I went out on a limb to ride that rollercoaster. I would have missed out on so many of the rides at various parks if I hadn't dealt with my fears and pushed through. Sometimes, part of being a teenager involves taking these types of risks. As Helen Keller wrote in her book, The Open Door, "Life is either a daring adventure or nothing at all."
Not always is taking risks a positive thing. Teenagers make decisions at times that are not the best for themselves. Some teenagers make the decision to drop out of school. Others make the decision to drink and later get behind the wheel of a car. In the end, life is full of these decisions, many which could prove to be potentially fatal.
What we can hope for as teenagers is knowing that we have the ability to fail. It sounds silly, yet a person seems to learn so much better from their mistakes, rather than being lectured at over and over again, only to have this lecture forgotten. As teenagers, being empowered enough to be able to make those decisions, yet guided by our elders to making positive ones, is one of the most powerful things that adults can do for youth. We should never let fear keep us from living life to its fullest.
To this day, I fondly remember the time I rode my first rollercoaster. Without my mom's encouragement to make that decision to get on the ride, I wouldn't have lived my amusement park experience to its fullest. And in the end, making that choice was a very positive thing. In our lives, many things appear like the Demon did: this looming structure that could do anything but inspire someone to ride on it. Yet although seemingly insurmountable, taking this risk that we see and overcoming these fears is all a part of living out the human condition. And who knows? I challenge you to put yourself out there and take a risk this coming week. Maybe taking this risk will lead you on for the ride of your life.
© Katie Fraticelli 2014. All Rights Reserved.
Listen to Audio Version of Whole Service (mp3)
Listen to Audio Version of Both Sermons (mp3) - Katie's starts 7:30 minutes into the recording
Risks are what makes life so unpredictable and exciting. The thrill of not knowing whether things will work out or not.. seems to make everything feel a whole lot better when it does.
Anything worth having in life took a risk to get. Only when we take the risks, do we realize our full potential. Your job, your house, your relationship, almost everything which matters took a risk to reach.
I used to participate in gymnastics. It's a very competitive sport full of risks. Sprained ankles and pulled muscles are common occurrences. Accidents may mean a broken bone or, to an extreme, death. For most people, gymnastics is definitely out. They do not want to risk their necks. I am not saying you should do foolish things, instead, we should take 'calculated' risks. We prepare ourselves for new skills, acknowledge the dangers, gauge our abilities, follow the instructions and then put our best efforts into the exercises. We take the risks to overcome our fears.
A long time ago I made the State meet for competitive gymnastics. During my bars routine, I miscalculated one of my jumps, and slipped off the bar. I fell awkwardly on the mat and lay there for a while, dazed. "This couldn't have just happened... At the state meet." But it did... And what was I going to do about it? A sharp pain in my ankle prevented me from getting up right away. But I took a deep breath and, with the help of my coach, I was able to stand up and finish what I had started.
So I may have sprained ankles and twisted fingers, but the skills that I had acquired far outweighed any pain or setback encountered. It's absolutely wonderful to be able to do a somersault and fly through the air. But again I must stress that the risks taken should be "calculated" risks. Only a fool will try to fly an airplane without any basic training and awareness of the dangers involved. Flying an airplane is pretty dangerous. But if we are to fly, we have to be brave enough.
On the other hand, there are negative risks we take every day, some which we barely notice. It may not be a risk to us, but it's risky for our world, for the environment. On a household scale, leaving the light on for too long or the water on while we brush our teeth is hurtful to the environment, and also your budget!
On a national scale, some people want to drill in Alaska for oil. It may "benefit" us for a couple of years, but is it worth the risk we are presenting to the planet? We would destroy the homes of many wild animals and fish in the ocean. We could potentially contaminate the water or anything it touches, if the oil spills. And in the long run, it will affect us. So is it really worth it?
My point is to always think about the kind of risk you are taking. But don't hold back for too long, because the opportunity may pass. Always learn from your mistakes, so if something doesn't work out, try a different way to achieve success. And do your best to prepare before doing something especially dangerous.
Take a look around you. There would not even be the United States of America if nobody had dared to venture out and discover the new world. There would be no space shuttles if everybody had played it safe on the ground. We would not even have any friends if we had not taken the risks of reaching out to other people and ignored our fear of getting rejected in return.
It's true that many people have failed in their ventures. Sailors have died and space shuttles have exploded. But we did not stop taking risks. The gains and new ideas that result from this new ground know no limits. And we go on again, to discover what life has to offer.