It’s funny how perspective shifts throughout your life. Recently, my fiancé and I played hookie from work and went to Six Flags for the day. It had been years since we’d gone and in an effort to be spontaneous and do something different and exciting we decided to take an hour and a half ride out to Springfield, MA since it isn’t something we’d done in a long time. When we arrived, we found ourselves in the ticket line where the staff had no idea what they were doing. We were told to get in one line if we were getting season passes and another line if we were getting day passes. We informed the guy that we were getting day passes and were directed to the line across the way. When we got to that line, they asked us the same question and sent us back to the original line. Nevertheless, I’ve been practicing my patience and kindness for situations such as these and didn’t let it ruin my chi. We got our day passes and entered the park.
We went to the water park first, which was overcrowded with people and long lines to do anything except for go in the wave pool. The lazy river now had a “get in, circle around once, and get out” policy unless you’d spent an extra $20 or so on your own rental tube, which you then had to cart around the water park and hope someone didn’t take it. If you’d rented your own tube, you could stay in the lazy river as long as you wanted. We went on one slide, which was about a 20 minute wait. We went through the lazy river twice and spent some time in the wave pool. While we were in the water park, we both turned to each other and said, “This is not how I remembered it,” in nostalgic disappointment. It wasn’t that the park had changed drastically, but it was apparent that we had. Neither of us found joy in the crowds or the waiting and commented how the beach (our other option up for consideration that morning) was sounding pretty good next time we decided to be spontaneous and skip out on work for the day to enjoy an adult day date. We laughed about the experience and chose to enjoy ourselves given we were there.
After the water park, we went to the theme park and went on roughly 4 rides within the remaining 3 hours we were there. For the $140 we’d spent on tickets, I don’t know that I’d qualify the experience as worth it, but live and learn. Capitalism at it’s finest. Six Flag is a great place to go if you want to see an illustration of the world at large. Memberships are now segregated into a bronze, silver and gold. They also segregated their flash pass into tiers. The more you pay, the more you play. If you choose not to pay, you end up with a fraction of the experience. In addition, the entire park is staffed with minimum wage employees in high school. Load up on cheap labor and charge outrageous prices on everything from parking to admission and food. I get that the park costs money to operate, but their net income is pretty darn good if I do say so myself (I checked: https://investors.sixflags.com/financial-information/fundamentals/income-statement).
Speaking of cheap labor, while we were there I watched a between 30-40 something year old manager give a young high school girl some major attitude about a mistake she’d made on the register with the people in line in front of us. It was pretty uncomfortable to watch. This poor young girl looked embarrassed and defeated. I told her not to worry about it when it was our turn to order and assured her that it would get better. Bitterness at one’s place in life always gets dumped onto others, which is why it is so important to find your rightful place in this world. I never want to be the bitter person who is giving others attitude because my life did not turn out how I had hoped. I don’t want to be the person who failed to “go for it” and try for what I felt would bring me joy.
It was hard to find employees who actually seemed to enjoy their job there. Most looked bored out of their mind, like they were missing a piece of their soul, as they sat out in the hot sun all day securing passengers into the rides and pressing the button to put it in motion. The money factory paid to bring joy, thrill, and excitement to people’s lives was definitely failing its employees in this area. Additionally, looking around at people in the line just waiting, it seemed to be failing many of the paying customers also, which brings me to my next point. You can’t pay for joy or excitement because it truly does come from within. Although, I know this article sounds as though I did not enjoy myself, I did. I intentionally brought my own joy into the experience by having deep and enjoyable discussions throughout my time there with my fiancé. As with all things, the experience was what I chose to make it with my perspective.
As Paul states in Phillipians 4:12, “I know how to live on almost nothing or with everything. I have learned the secret of living in every situation, whether it is with a full stomach or empty, with plenty or little.” I’m learning how to adapt my perspective so that things that I used to find incredibly annoying and irritating are now peaceful and even joyful experiences. I’m learning to shape my focus around what is right and good instead of fault-finding everything that is “wrong” with the situation or experience. This is making all the difference.
Would I return to Six Flags on another date day? The answer is “nope,” although I will say it was a very enlightening experience. One that reminded me of Dr Seuss, “Oh the Places You’ll Go”
That you’ll start in to race
Down long wiggled roads
At a break necking pace
And grind on for miles
Across weirdish wild space
Headed, I fear, toward a most useless place
The waiting place
For people just waiting.
Waiting for a train to go
Or a bus to come
Or a plane to go
Or the mail to come
Or the rain to go
Or the phone to ring
Or the snow to snow
Or waiting around for a yes or no
Waiting for their hair to grow
Everyone’s just waiting.
Waiting for the fish to bite
Or waiting for wind to fly a kite
Or waiting around for Friday night
Or waiting for their uncle jake
Or a string of pearls or a pair of pants
Or a wig with curls or another chance
Everyone is just waiting.
No! That’s not for you
Somehow you’ll escape
All that waiting and staying
You’ll find the bright places
Where Boom Bands are playing
The experience at Six Flags was a deep reminder to avoid waiting in life. Maybe it comes with age, or wisdom, or the type of information I’ve been immersing myself in, but I no longer feel inclined to spend my life waiting while living with facets of my life that I’m displeased with. I’m at a place in life where I’m gradually and strategically changing those things that are unpleasant. I’m baring witness to my complaints and first determining whether it’s a shift in attitude or thought that will make the situation more pleasant… in other words, is it a “me” problem? If it is not a “me” problem, then I’m stepping up to the plate to make the incremental changes that need to be made so that I can change the situation. Waiting is not for me. I deserve the “boom bands” and so do you! Part of loving yourself requires that you stop waiting and take action toward your own joy and allow yourself to experience that which makes you glow. Don’t treat yourself like an afterthought, spending time waiting for the stars to align before you do what brings you joy. Don’t wind up like the bitter manager that I had the displeasure of witnessing. When you fail to go for what brings you joy, you often end up bitter which doesn’t serve anyone. In order to serve the world, you must stop waiting in line and serve yourself first. “Love your neighbor as yourself,” implies that you already love yourself. If you don’t, that is where you need to start.