Slipping and sliding

One of my first memories of a slide was not as pleasant as you would think. The great thing about slides it that first feeling of excitement, then the feeling of freedom as you go down the slide enjoying the quick gush of wind that flies across your face. On this occasion, however, instead of finishing off with a sense of joy and satisfaction, I was blinded by a swarm of wasps. I remember the beady buggers waiting for me at the bottom with yellow striped legs dangling in their attack zone. I felt like a piece of prey captured in a spiderweb with ninja stars sticking into me.
The bathtub I was thrown into, was filled with ice and cold water and it did not do wonders for my mental stability either. From burning up by the stings, to freezing to the point of hypothermia I lost the ability to think rationally. Was I alive or dead? However, being fussed over for days by my grandmother and being spoilt rotten with chocolates and hugs certainly made up for it.

In our lives, we have a playground full of slides, just waiting to get used. Our emotions and intimate relationships are a constant source of playground 'fun'. We are safe and supported on the top, then have a brief false sense of security and freedom before it's over and we have reached the end of the journey. And occasionally, we have a few wasp nests waiting for our arrival at the bottom. Some slides are more slippery than others too which makes the trip faster and blurrier and at the end you ask yourself: why did that have to end so quickly? Other slides need more of a nudge to push through all the debris in the way. At the end you think: What was the point of that? No matter what the outcome at the bottom, it's always an exhilarating experience to be part of the ride.

Go find the perfect slide, that has the right slippery surface for easy, comfortable and joyful satisfaction. And at the bottom ask yourself: How can I do that again?