We live in a small town...a small county. So when the carnival comes to town it is something to get out and do. Like any carnival it is full of shabby rides, but still you pay to put your kid on a ride so they will have memories like you do of when you were a kid. You hope good ones.
The smells ... the sounds. Remember that corn dog you ate before you got on this ride? It remembers you!
I remember begging my parents to get to go. Here we are 32, and our sons barely looked up as we went by. This year the carnival was parked next door to my mother. Did my son have her pulling her hair out begging her to walk him to see the rides as they were setting them up. NO, he didn't.
Where is his magic? His wonderment? How did Mario do this?
Carnivals are both fun and scary to me. They give me a haunted feeling sometimes. I don't know if it was because each year it came and went was a mark in time. Or was it the broken lights on the rides. The bright colors now making me want to find my crayons and paint brushes.
Being a young teen I remember the Tempest well. Why did they call it Tempest. Temptation? It was the fastest scariest ride we had to come to town. Only the big kids would ride it. To ride it was to be cool. The music you heard blaring thru the carnival always came from the Tempest. As it did this night. Pulling you in to the Rock n Roll. And the guy that ran the Tempest when we were kids. The group of girls we ran around with were split. Who thought he was cute and who thought he was gross. Knowing we were talking about him the carny always flirted. Now the men are far from mysterious make me hold my zapper tightly. What were we thinking? I think it was the fascinating life of a carny. Where did they come from? Where are they going next? To change where you life week to week. Not the same old 9-5.
Much like the swings on this ride. Time has went by so fast. If you had told me as a young teen when the carnival was so much fun to me last, that I would be here now blogging about the carnival our kids went to I wouldn't believe you. There we stand in the center of this spinning universe around us. And as the ride / world seems to slow down... the objects flying around us start to come in closer to us. Closing us in. Feeling trapped. Yes magic has left us too. While we no longer fear the fast rides. We fear other things. With our older eyes.
With awareness we still have to play. We have to find a way to see the magic. Enjoy the coming day. What will tomorrow will bring? We have to get out from the center and move around. Even if that means getting on your knees and crawling out to save your life. While on your knees say a prayer. So when we stand we shall mount up with wings as eagles; we shall run and not be weary; and we shall walk and not faint.
We are working on a scene with our first set of dolls. Carnival inspired. Creepy but funny carnys included. The bright colors we love and remember as kids. Creating our own magic!
Go get us a funnel cake and meet me on the fairy house porch!
