Best Job Ever!

Chapter 4What If I Don't Know What to Do?

With Google I'm starting to burn out knowing the answer to everything. People in the year 2020 are going to be nostalgic for the sensation of feeling clueless.

—Douglas Coupland

One of my favorite things to do is watch people at amusement parks. Since most of my kids are at the “amusement park age,” we seem to find ourselves at least once a year paying $100 a person to get into a theme park so I can buy $15 burgers and chicken nuggets. (Oh yeah—and we also go on a few rides.)

One hot and humid summer day, we were waiting in line for a ride that twisted every which way, flipped upside down, and then turned you back around again 20 times in three minutes. As I watched the ride at full speed, I noticed a young man who couldn't have been more than 11 years old not looking like he was feeling so good. While everyone else was screaming and laughing with hands in the air, this young man had a somber face that was going whiter by the minute. Unfortunately, the ride had just begun and this boy was in for another two minutes of blender fun. I leaned over to my wife and kids, pointed to the boy, and told them to watch closely as this was not going to end well.

When his eyes started to bulge, I knew the ride was going to change drastically for his friends who were sitting in the same seat. As the ride began to come to an end, I was amazed at how well the boy held it together. It looked like he was going to make it off the ride before sharing his ...