What Happened?



This is me on the
Giant Swing
in college

I am not quite sure what has happened to me.

I used to be able to go on rides at amusement parks that spin and feel fine.  Star spinning with my campers was a breeze.  I lived for windy, country roads.

My rebellion against motion started when I became a driver.  I got so used to driving, that when I became a passenger (in the backseat), I easily became carsick.  Gone were the days of reading or doing puzzles in the car.

After that, windy roads became a problem.  Not while I was driving them, but as a passenger, I could not handle them.  The first time I realized it was on a mission trip in Jamaica.  Sitting in the back of a non-air-conditioned van for four hours of windy, bumpy roads=upset stomach for me.

Funny enough, it was another mission trip where I really got carsick.  The windy roads of West Virginia were so much fun when I was driving.  When I was a passenger in another car on those same roads...well, thankfully I made it to the side of the road before losing my dinner.

So, after all of these experiences, I am not quite sure why I volunteered to be the person who spins in circles for a minute during a game the other night.  It was a Minute to Win It game with some school moms.  After successfully running the board, our team needed another win to clench the title of...well, there was no title, but a grand prize of juice boxes to win.

I stepped up to the challenge, grabbed the edge of the toilet paper and spun in circles, wrapping myself up like a mummy. 

Even though I felt a bit dizzy afterwards, I still felt well enough to enjoy some cake that was smartly offered after that part of the game.  I still felt okay as my neighbor and I walked to her van.  I did not feel okay as we took back roads home to our neighborhood.

I kept my head between my legs as we talked of other things, but suddenly I knew it was over.  She pulled over and I lost my Bravo dinner in some stranger's front yard.

What really bums me out is that I lost such a great meal.

As if that was not ridiculous enough, as I was throwing up, a pick-up truck slowed down and yelled out the window, "Hey, we have to do the same thing!"  They drove past us and slowed down a little up the road.  Apparently, we all need privacy when throwing up on the public street.

As I approach another thirty something age (seriously, I forget how old I actually am sometimes), I am wondering what has happened to my body?  What has happened to the body that could eat anything it wanted and not gain a pound?  That could go rock climbing without a fear of falling?  That could sleep anywhere and not feel sore the next day?

That could spin in a circle for a minute without losing a meal?

Oh, that's right.  I am in my 30's and have three children.  That's what happened.