A Fair Day

Summer is the time for regional fairs. Because neither I nor my husband had been to a fair in years, he decided to take me. Okay, maybe I bugged him long enough to get an “Okay, let’s go” out of him.

He paid our admission fee, which amounted to fourteen dollars, for the privilege to walk through the gate. That didn’t include the three dollars to park our car.

All of my senses were jolted awake the minute I entered the fair. Laid out before me were booths selling everything from hand bags to tattoos. We passed by game booths while the hawkers waved us over to try our skill at ring tosses and rifle shoots. I wasn’t lured by their tempting offers, and opted to visit the Women’s Building instead.

I was in heaven. The building was packed full of girly delights. I looked at the quilts, paintings, and baked goods. One thing made me sad, though. There were glass display cases filled with luscious cakes, cookies, and bread. Some of them had ribbons attached, indicating they had placed, or won the top prize. This was fine, but I hated to see all those baked goods go to waste. I was tempted to sneak behind the case and grab a cookie. There were so many, who would notice? I might have actually done this if the building hadn’t been so crowded. Instead, I walked by the displays, lamenting to myself what a shame it was to just let them sit there and grow stale.

After talking myself out of petty theft, we left the building and walked toward the rides. Rock music blared from a punishing contraption that whirled people upside down. There was a time when I would have thought that was real entertainment. My age was showing, because I no longer felt that way. Having my insides mixed up like a soda shop drink didn’t appeal to me. But then I spotted the Ferris wheel.

I pulled my patient husband along to the ticket booth where we spent eight more dollars to ride the Ferris wheel so we could get an aerial view of the city. We stood in line until the gate was opened and we were directed to a round gondola. A lady in the next gondola was talking on a cell phone. No kidding. A cell phone. On the Ferris Wheel. Who would have thought it a few years ago? And really, why did she have to talk on the phone while she was on the ride?

When the ride started, my faith was shaken just a tiny bit. Here I was, the girl who used to have no fear of any ride at the fair, feeling apprehensive as the gondola teetered while it began to rise. What a cautious grandma I had become. I said a brief silent prayer, and looked out over the fair as the gondola rose. When we reached the top, we had a wonderful view of the city. We went around three times before the ride came to a stop. Three short revolutions - eight bucks.

After our ride, we decided to leave. On the way out, we passed a funnel cake booth. An inexplicable force shuffled me toward it, and I wound up sharing a chocolate and caramel covered deep fried delight with my spouse.

Although I’m not as adventurous as I once was when it comes to carnival rides, the fair was still fun. Asking God for peace in everything, no matter how small, just makes life more enjoyable. I’ve found it allows me to stop and smell the roses, or enjoy the view from the top of a Ferris wheel.

Now if I could just resist the funnel cakes…