“I want to go again”

When something great happens in life we crave another round. 

A rollercoaster. You tremble at the screams of those already caught in its chaos, the long queue builds dreadful anticipation for what’s to come. At the front, fear takes control: the click of the safety bar, the slow climb up the rails. The drop and you break free, finding yourself queuing once more.   

A stage performance. 3 minutes of being in the spotlight sounds like an eternity, the sickening feeling of forgetting everything, freezing up. But eventually, the music begins, the crowd fades and the people watching aren’t important anymore. You’re alone with the thrill of giving it your all and then suddenly… 3 minutes is too short. 

Moving abroad. Months of build up filled with anxiety: what if I don’t meet anyone? What if I lose touch with the people back at home? What if I can’t keep up in another language? Immersed in a new rhythm of life, the fears dissolve. Already a month has slipped by. 

Love. The missteps, the silences, the endless questions: do they feel the same way? Did I say too much? All common concerns when meeting someone new. But this new person at some point becomes familiar and safe. You look back on those nervous moments and wish you could relive them with confidence. 

We’re sometimes brave enough to do what is terrifying but often we retreat and do what’s safe. But it’s in the moments where our hearts race and voices tremble that we hear ourselves saying “I want to go again”. In these cases we’ve truly broken through the walls of our comfort zone. 

These are the memories that last. The ones which demanded courage. The ones which are so vivid that we ache to repeat them. The challenges which urge us to mastery.