I remember it like it was yesterday...being eleven years old and going to Mid Island Plaza in Hicksville, Long Island.
My best friend Linda Isby and I would ride on the carousel after enjoying a slice a pizza in the shopping center.
The carousel was outside and there was a box filled with rings to grab, as you circled around on the merry-go-round. I loved the colorful horses, and always chose the largest one I could find. If you were very lucky, you might catch the brass ring and then you got to ride again for free.
In order to catch any ring at all, you had to lean far over to the right, hold on for dear life and pray that you didn't lose your balance and fall. It's amazing that any of us who grew up in the fifties are alive at all, given the lack of safety and supervision we had in those days.
Well, it happened! I caught the brass ring and was so excited that the memory lives etched into my heart forever. The brass ring, but I don't remember what the horse looked like that I was riding, nor the actual ride itself. No, I just remember the thrill of the win.
Recently, I have been pulled in so many different directions, it has been a struggle to stay focussed and not give myself away.
I was thinking this morning how much life is just like a merry-go-round. If we are not careful, as we reach for the brass ring we might just lose our balance and fall.
Perhaps it is better to leave those brass rings, or hopes to catch one alone. Maybe we should just enjoy the ride and live in the moment...be satisfied. I have had to let go of some things lately.
"It's amazing that any of us who grew up in the fifties are alive at all, given the lack of safety and supervision we had in those days."
You got that right! Can you imagine a ride of today having a brass ring? I shudder to think.
I've always described life as a roller coaster. A little more interesting than a merry-go-round perhaps.
Point well taken that we must choose wisely about what we allow into our lives. It's a challenge to know. It is, as you say, more of a, once we do understand, a willingness to let go. Pretty tough sometimes.
Karen- I so remember doing this in Eldridge Park in Elmira, NY. Our rings were fed down into an arm and you had to lean over to reach up and over to grab one. There was one gold one fed into the arm for each "ride session". If you got the gold ring you could ride the next time for free. Love your carousel pictures! xo Diana
You know, Karen, as much as the phrase is used...catching the brass ring, I wasn't sure what it meant! Carousels always made me sick so I never went on them!
Your photos bring back memories of watching them...which also made me a little dizzy!!
XO,
Jane
TRUE TRUE TRUE.
Anita
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