Life is not always easy, and sometimes things just don’t go the way we want.  Life can be full of disappointments, and it’s our job to react to them in the best way possible.

We don’t always get to do everything we want.  Sometimes we don’t have enough money, enough influence, or enough time.  But sometimes it’s our physical body that can get in the way of something we want to do.

Children are often too short or too small to ride amusement park rides.  They have to wait until they grow taller to be able to ride safely.  A 7 foot tall basketball players may not be able to do certain things because of his height.

A professional bodybuilder told the story of the time he and his wife spent a lot of money on a scuba diving expedition, but when they got to the boat, he was simply too massive and muscular to fit into the required life vest.  This was a great disappointment to him, but his life choice to be a bodybuilder interfered in this particular circumstance.  Of course, this kind of limitation is quite rare for someone in supreme physical shape, but even this has its moments of disappointment.

Now to the real reason for this post.  The fantastic “Wizarding World of Harry Potter” recently opened in Orlando at the Universal Resort.  It’s a magical place of remarkably detailed recreations of buildings and shops from the Harry Potter book series.   The crown jewel of this theme park is the amazing ride, “Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey.”  This attraction actually allows you to fly through scenes from the movies and books, including a very realistic experience of playing Quidditch and fighting dementors.

The ride uses amazing new technology where your “flying bench” is actually attached to a giant robot arm.  This arm is able to move you in every way imaginable, simulating flying, sharp turns, and sudden drops and shifts in direction.   At times you are literally laying on your back and almost on your head.  It’s absolutely thrilling and an unparalleled experience.

Ah, but the caveat….in order to ride on the “magical flying bench” you must be able to pull down the safety harness and there must be THREE CLICKS.  This insures that the rider can make it safely through the journey.  Unfortunately, there have been a number of riders who could not get the “three clicks” because they were just too fat.  The official term is that their “girth” is too great, but we all know that girth and weight go hand in hand.

What has to be the worst theme park job in the world is the poor chap who must ask you to “try the sample bench” to see if you can fit, and then must break the news to you and your party that you simply cannot ride because of your “girth.”  As you can imagine, many people have been disappointed.

So we arrive at the moment of truth for this article.  How do these disappointed Potter fans react to this terrible news?  Most are angry, possibly embarrassed, and some have gone off on tirades (often public and in print) about how unfair this is.   A few have threatened to sue.   Really.  Not kidding.

So you can’t ride because you’re too heavy?  Too fat?  Too much girth?  Say it how you will, it’s the way it was.  You don’t always get to do everything you want to in this life.  I feel badly for these folks, but I can’t abide their righteous indignation.  You’re not being put upon, you need to lose weight.

How you react at this moment in time when you find yourself facing such a clear-cut disappointment is a real test of your real inner mettle.  There are many, many wonderful stories of people who have taken similar life-changing moments and have used them as a motivator to lose weight, take care of their bodies, and start to get into better shape.  In fact, one terrific Potter fan who couldn’t ride the “Forbidden Journey” has done just that.  He created a blog to follow his progress as he exercises, eats right, and works to lose weight….all in pursuit of the goal to get on this ride and have the time of his life.

So congrats to this fellow who faced the music, looked at himself in the mirror, and decided to take control and make the changes he needed.  Of course, this will not only benefit his fun at theme parks, but will surely improve his life, and the life of those around him, in innumerable ways.

So if you are worried that you might not fit onto the flying bench in Harry’s fantastic “Wizarding World,” I hope you’ll take this as an opportunity to take action now, use this as a motivator, and start to treat your body with the kindness it deserves.   Take those walks, make better food choices, get to the gym, and then have fun on the “Forbidden Journey.”  Get started!

(Note: If you’re concerned about fitting into the seat on the ride, there are some sample seats at the entrance to Hogwarts.  Ask a cast member for help and try it out before you get inside!)