Carnival world
July 20, 2009
Nothing cured the torpid state of a small town quite like a carnival, and our small town was no different. It was the event of the summer here, one that is part high school reunion, part gossip convention, and all fun.
Every year a few hundred souls gathered for three nights in the parking lot of the Old Schoolhouse Restaurant to ride and play and eat, knowing that much of the proceeds will go to the local fire department.
Ahead of me were the rides. The slide and the Ferris wheel and the swings and a jumble of semi-legit games of carnie skill. Behind me, around the corner, were fire truck hangars filled with hungry people searching for dinner in the form of barbecued chicken.
I was appropriately between the two, straddling the same line at the carnival that I tended to straddle in life, the one between play-and-scream and rest-and-gawk. It was a precarious spot, and I often tried to play both sides. Which is why I was both nodding in agreement with the man beside me who says people really should grow up and licking cotton candy off the corner of my mouth.
To me, the carnival was all about catching up and touching base. There were people I see only at the carnival, mountain folk who somehow summoned the strength to come down from the hills and partake in some revelry. But they never lingered. Town life was too close to city life for their comfort.
To my kids, though, the carnival was all about the rides. And there were plenty of rides. Slides and swings. Tea cups and moonwalks. And the granddaddy of them all, the Ferris wheel. Both my son and my daughter erupted in spasms of glee at the sight, a veritable smorgasbord of hyperactive indulgence.
“Can we ride, Daddy?” they asked.
Yes.
Because if there is anything I knew for sure in this complicated world, it was that a body could learn a lot about living from carnival rides.
For instance.
The swings were first. Rusty and worn from endless turns in the summer heat, but still perfectly tuned for their assigned purpose: to spin people around and around through the air at varying speeds. My kids whizzed and zoomed, waving their tiny arms as they passed. Fun, yes. And also valuable later on. Because sometimes in life they will feel as though they’re going around in circles, but that’s no reason to feel frustrated. You can still laugh and wave.
The tea cups were next, which were in amazing shape considering the fact that I found “Pam Luvs Doug 6/9/68” carved into the engine cover. I wasn’t worried, though. Tea cups don’t spin around in a circle ten feet in the air, they jerk and whirl close to the ground. As I watched physics inch my children closer together with each turn of the gears, I found another future lesson for them to tuck away: when life begins to pull and turn, it’s best to stick close to the ones you love.
Fifteen minutes in the Moon Walk proved yet another point—there is an inherent desire within each of us to soar. To break the bonds of both gravity and common sense and rise just a bit higher than the rest, if only for a moment. And though we are earthbound and destined to spend our share of time in the dirt and mud, those precious few moments in the sky are well worth the effort.
From there we made our way to the slide, a gigantic monstrosity of molded plastic that sat a good two stories off the ground. The line was long and the drop was steep, but both children refused to budge. When they climbed those rickety steps and flew down upon those moldy burlap sacks, they screamed and I smiled. Them because they had overcome their fear to magnificent results. Me because I knew life was made for the bold rather than the timid.
The Ferris wheel was the best ride and therefore reserved for last. The flight down the slide had emboldened them to tackle the even bigger ride to the point where they requested a go with just the two of them minus mom and dad.
And things went fine, too. Until the ride stopped with them perched at the top. Flashes of panicky children and flaying limbs shot through my mind but were disproved by the sight in above me.
Rather than terror, my kids were in awe.
Spellbound by the sight of the crowd below and the mountains ahead. Of robins and blue jays flitting past their heads.
I didn’t have to teach them that lesson. They taught me. That sometimes, many times, life can become a bit dull around the edges. The view below can seem drab and worn.
Which is when you need to look up instead of down. Over instead of around. Because life is not only a matter of attitude. It’s a matter of perspective as well.
——–
Hey folks, Lynn Rush over at Light of Truth was kind enough to interview me about my writing and how I managed to sign with Rachelle Gardner, agent extraordinaire. If you’d like to step over there and read part one, it’s here. Part two will run tomorrow. Be sure to tell Lynn hello. She’s a great writer and a great lady.
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28 Responses to “Carnival world”
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I’m a writer whose first novel, Snow Day, will be published by FaithWords in 2010.
But don’t let that fool you. I’m just as confused as anyone.
And that is fine with me, because the great thing about wandering around in the fog is that you never know what you might run into.
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I am once again in awe of your ability to see the profound in the ordinary, and express it so pure and plain.
You're a gifted man, Mr. Coffey.
What about that spinning barrel thing? The one that goes around really fast and then the floor drops out? Did they have one of those? Because that ride taught me a very important life lesson: Don't drink an entire Dr. Pepper before you go on the spinning barrel thing…
"a veritable smorgasbord" — Charlotte's Web, perhaps?
I love this whole piece. So many literary delights and wonderful realities all wrapped into one.
So beautifully said my friend, be blessed.
Hey Billy, perspective is so important, and I love reading about yours!
Smile and wave, stick together, and look up!
wonderful!
I can't wait to be able to take my kids on rides! Great post.
Saw on Lynn Rush's blog that you're newly agented. Congrats.
"The view below can seem drab and worn…" Ah yes, I need a ferris wheel some days – and to not be afraid to board it. Love the innocence and fearlessness of your kids, but mostly how you see it in them.
We adults are just too in awe of the funnel cakes to appreciate the real beauty around us.
You did it to me again, Billy…I'm left speechless! Wonderful post!
I saw you on Straight To the Heart..came over to say "hi".
We lived in Round Hill, VA…we would go to Harpers Ferry all the Time! Such a pretty place.
Have a good day!
sandy toe
Which is when you need to look up instead of down. Over instead of around. Because life is not only a matter of attitude. It’s a matter of perspective as well.
AMEN!
Looking up and keeping my focus on Him! The world is pretty amazing when you look through the eyes of a child and God's perspective!
Blessings today! Glad you all had such a good time!
Jill
Beautiful. Love reading your posts.
Billy, it's the 'ferris wheel stops and I'm stuck at the top' moments when life slows down for half a second, and everything goes quiet because you're in total awe of the view that you miss the other 364 days of the year.
And I woulda given anything to see the parade. I'm sure there were some interesting characters.
Great post, Billy. To find such insight at a carnival….truly inspiring.
Amazing, Billy. Just amazing. I wish I learned lessons like you do – but I am ALMOST as happy to learn them FROM you. RT coming
I used to like the tilt a Whirl.
Now I like to listen to the bands.
I love that slide with the burlap sacks! My parents were always scared of the fair rides because they set them up/take them down so many times, but we always got to do the slide.
Thanks for the insight and the smile!
this is nice… balance is truly perspective needed today.
I wish….that sometimes we could stop at the top of the Ferris Wheel and look out at everything til we were ready to come down. There's never enough time to appreciate the beauty.
Billy,
Ah the infamous carnival chicken I remember from posts past! What a great time I think can be had by all these rides!
I love the ferris wheel as long as it's not too high!
And cotton candy, corn dogs, caramel corn, and buttered corn on the cob.
I just wish they did our carnivals here when the weather wasn't so hot to keep people away. Nights get so crowded and the days are pretty much vacant!
Love and Hugs ~ Kat
Excellent. We had a carnival in our small town we used to go to only to see the people–the kids the rides–but I love how to let us see the rest–probably saw it but didn't even know. Love your outlook:)
Once again…..you amaze me with your gift for bringing your readers into your story, not just reading about it.
I enjoyed every.single.word of this piece.
thanks so much!
and ps
another shout out for getting signed! WOOT!
Wow, who new a carnival had so much to teach us? My favorite was the tea cup analogy. So very very true!
I love this post! Makes me think.
Nodding that adults should grow up while licking cotton candy from the corner of your mouth? Priceless.
I've decided never to grow up, it's much too complicated. And I think my kids and I reversed the order in which your kids rode the rides…we started with the Ferris wheel and ended with the swings. I think the people watching and catching up while waiting in line is the best part.
Billy, your ability to see the profound in the everyday is like Eric Clapton's ability to play the guitar.
Unsurpassed.
Awesome! Only you could weave life's lessons into a story about carnival rides! You left out one important lesson, though….never eat a chili dog and funnel cake BEFORE getting on those rides! It's not a pretty sight…LOL
Great post, Billy Coffey!
This post was especially appropriate to me today, as we spent the day at Busch Gardens. I don't ride the swings because they make me feel sick.
But I loved the insights.
I love this. Thank you for the lessons and thank you for the smiles. Only now I'm thinking about cotton candy!