Mind is stronger than Fear

 As the car slid on the devious tracks, I gripped the bar tighter. I could see the drop coming. I squeezed my eyes shut and breathed through my nose. Then I heard a peculiar sound. Laughter. I jerked my head to the left, opened my eyes, and saw my brother, Arnav, laughing. How could he laugh at such a time? One thing was for sure. Going on this roller coaster was the worst decision of my life.

I was a fourth grader with a tremendous fear of heights, and this Saturday, my family and I were going to roller coaster park. I did not want to go, but I did want to make my little brother think that I am scared. However, I was and if he found out, he would tease me mercilessly. Just thinking about the heights made me feel sick to my stomach.

    The nerve-racking day had arrived. This afternoon we were going to the roller coaster park. All day long, my brother would remind me of that. As if I could forget. After lunch, my mom announced, “Everyone, grab your water bottles and head to the car.” My brother cheered and I followed them silently. Once we arrived at our destination, my brother and father went to go get our tickets for a ride. I saw my ticket and felt like throwing up. The ride that I got a ticket for was Roller Derby.  Roller Derby was the longest, tallest, and scariest ride in the whole park. I sat down, put my head between my knees and tried to forget what I ate for lunch. Then, my brother cupped his hands around his mouth and said, “Nandita is scared!” I lifted my head up and glared at him. “No I am not!” I hissed. He smirked and dragged me toward the Roller Derby line. The line was long, but the numbers continued to dwindle, until it was only me, my brother, and a few others. We got in a car and I immediately put my seatbelt on and clenched the bar. Arnav laughed at my white fingers and put his hands in the air. As the car slid on the devious tracks, I gripped the bar tighter. I could now see the drop. I squeezed my eyes shut. Then, I heard a peculiar sound. Laughter. I jerked my head to the left and saw Arnav laughing. How could he be laughing? One thing was sure. Going on this roller coaster was the worst mistake ever.

I closed my eyes again and grabbed Arnav’s arm. Then, I felt the car going uphill. I opened my eyes and saw a frightening sight. The car was teetering over the edge, about to drop. My brother was, of course, laughing. Then it happened. The car dropped and I screamed. I screamed louder than I ever thought was possible. The tracks turned left and right, taking the car along with it. I felt my hands let go of the bar and float up in the air. When the pandemonium passed, I breathed out in relief and leaned back in the car seat.  “That … was … amazing!” Arnav said breathily.  I nodded without thinking and realized it was true.

After we got off the ride, I was determined to ride all the roller coasters in the park. Then, we ate pizza for dinner and I felt happy that I faced my fear. 

Looking back at that day, I realized that I had learned an important lesson. I learned that fear is all in just in the mind, so if we ignore the fear it will not have any power over us. Fear can shut us down but if we ignore it, that will never happen.  If we remember that we have that fear it will always be at the back of your mind, plaguing your mind with fear. With the fear in your mind, you will not be able to actually enjoy the task that you are performing.