AUGUST 28th - I Give You Cliches



On this day in 1997, the Scirocco roller coaster in Brussels, Belgium malfunctioned, leaving 26 riders stranded for 90 minutes. Upside down. The coaster was heading into the first of its two loops when it suddenly jammed up. I feel like Dr. Seuss could have written this in Oh, The Places You’ll Go. Though I doubt he had people hanging upside down for 90 minutes in mind when he wrote about the Waiting Place and Prickly Perches. But could there be a more on the nose metaphor for a bad day? How many times has someone told you that life is a roller coaster? Sure, it’s as cliche as an athlete saying “at the end of the day,” but cliches are cliche because they get used often, and they get used often because they are true. The roller coaster cliche just notifies that life is full of peaks and valleys, ups and downs. There you are, going about your business, navigating the ebbs and flows in the simple pursuit of happiness when the unexpected just creeps up on you, and then BAM! You’re stuck upside down with your eyeballs swimming in the blood that has rushed to your head. Although, I wonder if your brain power increases due to the sudden influx of blood. I mean how do we know Einstein wasn’t standing on his head when he came up with the Theory of Relativity? Maybe Stephen Hawking wrote A Brief History of Time upside down. And perhaps Tony Danza became the boss because he killed his audition after swinging from his ankles beforehand. But 90 minutes of it is probably a bit excessive. Seems more likely to give you a headache than help you come up with the cure for cancer. Still, none of those stranded people were seriously injured. And what doesn’t kill you makes you stronger. Oh, another cliche. The main thing is to keep going, navigating the ebbs and flows, pursuing that happiness. And if you ever get stuck upside down on a Belgium roller coaster make sure to use the extra blood flow to maximize your brain power. And then get a waffle. I hear they do them well. Because when life gives you lemons...I give you cliches.

This day has been Marked.

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