Roller Coaster Story with a Tom Robbins Twist

I remember vividly my first date as with my high school sweetheart. I was sixteen years old and a beautiful girl in my French class asked me to join her at Six Flags Great Adventure in Jackson, NJ. I quickly accepted, looking forward to getting to know a little more about this girl that I had been admiring for sometime.

There was a slight problem with this venue for a first date. At that point in my life I had never been on a roller coaster and she kept talking about her two favorite rides at Great Adventure – “Rolling Thunder” and “Lightning Loops.” The anxiety of being on a first date is tough enough, but for me, the larger anxiety was that I would have to either experience a roller coaster for the first time and risk hurling next to the girl of my dreams; or I could be a wimp and explain to her that I was too scared to go on the roller coaster.

As silly as this sounds today, this over dramatic teenager seriously thought about canceling the date, fearing that I was in a no win situation. Luckily for me, what little testosterone I had at that age (I was a real late bloomer) kicked in and convinced me to just go for it.

As soon as we paid our admission to the park, my date high tailed it right to the line to get onto “Rolling Thunder.” The anxiety kicked in again as we waited in line. This psychosomatic nausea started as I was able to see the roller coaster go creeping up so slowly and then hurtling down at great speeds. Would I be able to handle that speed?

We made some small talk while waiting in line and I did my best to hide my fears. Once our turn came to get on, I was relieved that we did not end up in the front seat. Small victory, but I was still pretty anxious about the first impending drop. Once they locked the restraining bar there was no turning back.

I quickly turned to my date and told her that this was my first time on a roller coaster. She just laughed and told me to enjoy the ride. I guess I was hoping that she would tell that there was nothing to worry about, but she didn’t give me that satisfaction. As the coaster went on the first climb, I started to get a bit scared watching us get up to about 8 stories high, so I chose to focus my gaze on my date. I don’t know why, but as we reached that apex and the split second before our drop, I was overcome with a feeling that this was an awesome experience. It is amazing how sometimes your mind can process so many thoughts in such a short time. In that split second, I felt exhilarated. I was sitting next to a beautiful girl, I was having a fun day at Great Adventure, the sun was shining and the park just looked so beautiful from that vantage point. My date hooked her arm under mine, drawing me close to her, which just added to the moment.

As we began our descent, I was thrilled by the speed. My date and I were laughing, enjoying the ride as she snuggled close to me. After that, we held hands, hit every ride in the park and the perfect day ended up with me getting on my tiptoes (like I said, I was late bloomer) for my first kiss with my new girlfriend as she dropped me off at home.

So Rick, what’s the point? Feeling nostalgic? Maybe, it’s just that my head has been in a bit of a fog lately and I can’t help but think of roller coasters when thinking about the economy. Most people who are discussing the economy act as if we are in a free fall right now. Well if that’s the case, let’s enjoy the ride.

We all have our own set of unique problems. Right now, I am still trying to get over a real bad head cold and it has given me a quick break from thinking of this roller coaster ride. It is amazing how unimportant the economic news becomes as you think about trying to breathe clearly once again.

More than anything, I would love to put my big nose to proper use and savor the aroma of my morning coffee (roasted at Lakeside Coffee in Rouses Point) or the fresh, North Country air. I can’t right now, but wallowing in self pity won’t make me feel any better. I just have to take better care of myself and hopefully my immune system will do the rest of the work.

So I have been using all my free time to rest and enjoy one of my great pleasures, which is reading good fiction. I find that reading fiction allows my mind to wander and provides useful escape from the challenging realities of life. Right now, I happen to be reading “Skinny Legs and All” by Tom Robbins. I first read this book right after it was published in 1990. Tom Robbins has this magical way of spinning words and making serious social commentary on some pretty controversial themes, yet in a very light-hearted manner. This particular novel gets into some pretty taboo stuff that really belongs nowhere in a business blog or a commentary about the economy. At least that is what I thought until I came upon this little excerpt that made me think of this roller coaster economy yet again(and inspired me to add one more blog post):

“During periods of so-called economic depression, societies suffer for want of all manner of essential goods, yet investigation almost invariably discloses that there are plenty of goods available. Plenty of coal in the ground, corn in the fields, wool on the sheep. What is missing is not materials but an abstract unit of measurement called 'money.' It is akin to a starving woman with a sweet tooth lamenting that she can't bake a cake because she doesn't have any ounces. She has butter, flour, eggs, milk, and sugar, she just doesn't have any ounces, any pinches, any pints.”

Basically, we are paying attention to the units of measure, like the Dow Jones Average, rather than the actual supply and demand of products/services and the never ending competition to find our proper place in the market. Business owners that focus on the resources they have available can still find the means to bake that cake and measure their success.

Tom Robbins also wrote:

“The introduction of money, with its seductive, if largely ambiguous promises, added a fresh measure of zip to the sport of life, but the zip turned to zap when the players, stupefied by ever-shifting intangibles, began to confuse the markers with the game.”

Even though this book was written over 19 years ago, I find this passage to be so relevant to small business and the current economy. If you focus on the game, small business can be an exciting and profitable game. You just have to pay attention to the task at hand and the real indicators of success, not some outside market news.

One final excerpt from this book:

“The ones who’re so upset about everybody not being the same, about competition, about standards of quality…they’re usually people with average abilities and average minds. And below average senses of humor. Whether it’s a matter of lifting the deprived up or dragging the gifted down, they want everybody to function on their level. Some fun that would be.”

So continue to compete with your business. It may be a roller coaster, but it is a fun ride if you possess the right attitude. As Hugh Downs once said, “A happy person is not a person in a certain set of circumstances, but rather a person with a certain set of attitudes.” If we want to savor life, we have to choose to accept our circumstances with a positive attitude and proper perspective. We should also compete, not so much with each other, but with ourselves to achieve greater things.

Focus on what matters. Is it the game or the price of admission? We all have our own answers.