Does plunging 255 feet straight down into a pitch-black hole in the ground at 85 mph and having most of the blood sucked out of your brain as you fly through turns that apply four and a half times the force of gravity on your nerve-wracked body sound appealing to you? Me neither. Yet somehow I let my 16 year-old thrill-seeker son Alex talk me into riding the Titan roller coaster at Six Flags Over Texas last week. During the mile-long ride that lasted over three and a half terrifying and physically-taxing minutes, the only times I stopped screaming were when I started to black out—which apparently is a phenomenon known to occur to riders with alarming regularity due to the attraction’s extreme G-forces. Fun! Spring Break!

Travis Naughton

This year’s Spring Break has been a case study in things I never thought I’d do just a few years ago. Throughout my youth, I was terrified of amusement park rides. I didn’t ride a real roller coaster until Bethany and I went to Worlds of Fun during our honeymoon. By then I figured that marriage is the craziest roller coaster there is, so how scary could a short thrill-ride be?

When I was young, I often said that I had no desire to get married and have a family of my own. Maybe I was scared of screwing it all up. I thought being the obnoxious uncle to my brother’s kids sounded good enough. But then I would have never known the feeling of contentment I get when I spend quality time with my wife and three kids like I did last week while we were camping. Despite all of the frustrations with our battle-scarred RV, when I see my family laughing and playing together like they did throughout our vacation, I know beyond any doubt that I would not trade my life for anyone else’s.

I overcame another significant fear/trepidation towards the end of Spring Break. For the first time in my life, I competed in an official 5k race. The inaugural Shakespeare’s Pizza Fun Run was the perfect race for a first-timer like me. No medals were given to top finishers, but in exchange for an entry fee that helped Columbia’s Rainbow House, an emergency shelter for children in crisis, participants received a t-shirt and free Shakespeare’s pizza.

There has never been a single time in my life when I thought, “Gee, I would really love to go run several miles today—just for fun.” I have always hated running. Short legs, shin splints, asthma, and knee problems have always prevented me from ever giving running a fair shake.

When I decided to get sober and healthy on January 1st, I started walking regularly on Bethany’s treadmill. (I call it Bethany’s treadmill because it sat in our house a full year before I ever even stepped foot on it.) Before too long, I tried running for a short distance, just to test the waters. The next thing I knew, I had run a full mile for the first time in years. Eventually, I was able to run two miles and then three without stopping to walk or rest or throw up. (Oh, yes. I did throw up early on in my training.)

Bethany took notice of my efforts and improvement and suggested I run with her at a 5k race. I initially balked at the idea, but when I learned about the non-competitive nature (and free pizza) of the Shakespeare’s run, I said yes. Taking place on April Fools’ Day, I should not have been surprised to discover after the fact that the race was actually 3.4 miles long instead of the 3.1 mile equivalent to 5 kilometers. The joke was on me I guess. Let me tell you, those extra three tenths of a mile I had to run (and the cramps they caused in both of my calves) were just hilarious!

The 36 minutes that I took to complete the 3.4 mile run translated to a time of 32:48 for an actual 5k, which, for a 45 year-old man competing in his first-ever distance race, is not too bad. That same day I also celebrated three months of sobriety. That’s something I’m pretty proud of, too.

This Spring Break, spent overcoming old fears and insecurities, has really been a celebration of life (rather than the self-destructive debauchery I previously engaged in). If I’ve learned anything over the last few years, it’s that saying “yes” to new experiences and opportunities, despite any anxiety or trepidation I may feel, is the key to really living.

Do I want to run in another torturous 5k race, ride another terrifying roller coaster, or drive our dilapidated motor home for ten straight hours again? Not really. But when my family asks, I’ll say “yes.” And I won’t regret it.