The back of the line was safe, an easy place to possess courage that was not yet necessary. As the line moved forward, the activity of the butterflies in my stomach intensified. Still, the line was a place for bravado because I hadn’t actually committed to the ride yet. I could still back out if I wanted.

I didn’t really want to ride this roller coaster. But I didn’t want to not ride it, either. This was Disney World, after all. You don’t go to Disney World to watch people ride rides. You go there to actually experience the parks and the rides for yourself. And we weren’t that family that would be back year after year. This was the first trip to Disney World for my whole family, one on which my mother-in-law had wanted to take us for years. My youngest son was f...

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