“I have projected the same im ages day after day

Becoming prisoner to the known.

But the known is dead and past now

And I must buy my ticket to freedom

By embracing the fresh and unknown.”

—Deepak Chopra

Last month, Diane and I took our grandchildren to Disneyland for the simple pleasure of some “hang time” together.

I was amazed at how the park had changed since I first visited it as a kid in 1957. Beyond the staggering amount of people, there are many new rides that, shall we say, are a bit more intense than the ones I remembered.

Throughout the day, I found myself steering the grandkids to the safe and comfortable rides I knew from 50 years ago—the putt-putt cars at the Autopia and the Jungle Cruise.

Of course, while they humored me by going on those rides with me, the grandkids, who are 14 and 16 years old, were more intent on all the newer rides. One ride that I had not been on is Space Mountain, and I have to admit it brought me to the edge of my comfort zone.

As we were climbing into our rocket ship, I noticed the woman just getting out of our capsule stagger off in a daze and promptly lose her $22 Tomorrowland breakfast. Suffice it to say this didn’t necessarily push my “Oh, I am going to enjoy this ride because Disneyland is the happiest place on earth” button.

But as we got off the ride I began to do a bit of selfinquiry regarding my resistance to going on the ride in the first place.

Why did I feel more comfortable sticking with the rides I had already been on numerous times?

Because I could see where we were going, and, what is more important, I knew how the ride ended.

As it turned out, Space Mountain was indeed intense, dark and really juicy.

By “juicy” I mean that for an hour after the ride I was enjoying an energetic endorphin rush courtesy of God that I would not have gotten had I stayed with the rides I knew so well. And so it is with life, yes?

The awareness I had was that Disneyland is very much akin to our daily lives in many respects.

Many years ago, Disneyland sold ticket books for the rides, with the E ticket providing entry to the more exciting/juicy rides. The A and B ticket rides, such as the carousel, were not very juicy, but they were safe.

As Chopra says, we buy our ticket to freedom by embracing the fresh and unknown. No doubt about it—Space Mountain really set me free.

By simple observation, everyone knows where the carousel is going to take them before they climb on the wooden horse— round and round in the same location. There is nothing fresh and unknown about the carousel. It’s the same thing over and over again every 30 seconds.

That’s how many of us tend to live our lives; too often it’s a projection of the same images day after day, and thus, as Chopra says, we become prisoners to the known.

In the process we also miss the “juice,” the adventure of going where we have never been before.

Are you ready to set yourself free from your prison of sameness? It may require you to buy an E ticket and step onto a new ride, leaving behind the comfort of the known.

Where in your life’s journey are you ready to upgrade to an E ticket?

May you come to the very edge of what you know this day and step boldly into the juicy mystery of “I don’t know,” as if it’s your first day at the amusement park called Planet Earth.

Enjoy the mystery and the freedom it brings. After all, you have already paid for admission.

Dennis Merritt Jones is a lo cal spiritual mentor, keynote speaker and author of the book “The Art of Being: 101 Ways to Practice Purpose in Your Life.” Contact him at www .DennisMerrittJones.com.