Fear and thrills and butterflies.

I love rollercoasters; the antcipation, the fear, the thrill, the increased heart rate, the jolt in your tummy as your body dips from horizontal to vertical in that split second before the fall. Skydiving, bungee jumps and all those other extreme sports that physically place your body in modes they wouldn't usually encounter have that incredible emotional state of anticipation preceeding them that transforms to sheer exhileration. There's a huge human attraction in engaging in activities that cause that feeling of absolute terror like going on a rollercoaster, or jumping off a bridge or watching a horror movie. It must be noted though, that there's a safety net surrounding all these activities which means the feeling is of fear but fear with the pretty steadfast assurance that nothing devestating will come of it. Rather than devestation, an intense thrill is the anticipated outcome.
Kids love swings and slides; the little person extreme sports. Not having been on a swing in a very long time, I myself recently rediscovered the thrill and joy that comes from two ropes, a plank of wood, a sturdy frame and well-efforted leg work. It's tame but wonderful and gets your heart beating just that little bit quicker and places a firm smile on your face. On a few other occasions lately I've been suddenly aware of my own heart beating inside me and felt that same smile on my face and there hasn't been a swing or rollercoaster in sight. Faces are made for smiling and hearts for beating and anything that makes them behave as they were intended is surely worth finding. There are always the obvious thrill seeker activities- sharks to be swam with, cliff faces to be scaled, but then there are all the other things waiting to be discovered that have the most incredible potential to be metaphorical rollercoasters and stimulate the same physical and emotional responses...we just have to find them!*