Greetings Book Lover ~~

I have a question for you.

Have you ever been car sick?

What about seasick? (On a cruise perhaps?)

How are you on the rides at the amusement park?

Motion sickness is a horrible, icky-feeling experience.  Car sickness plagued me as a little kid, into my adult years, and still yet today if I’m in the rider’s seat, and if there are hills and curves. (Like Latina experienced in her first ride into the Ozark Hills in my novel Flower in the Hills.)

What is Motion Sickness?

But what is motion sickness and how does it happen?

This type of what I call an icky-illness, happens when your balance-sensing system (that means your inner ear), feels that things are moving but the rest of you isn’t getting the message.

Let’s say you’re on a cruise (neat, right?) and you’re in the cabin – your inner ear senses the motion of the moving of the ship, but your eyes don’t believe it. You can’t see any movement. This difference of opinion between the inner ear (balance center) and the eyes results in motion sickness. (Great way to ruin a nice cruise.)

Did you know that pilots who use flight simulators can suffer from motion sickness? Crazy. In this case, the eyes see motion, but your body doesn’t sense it. Again, there’s a difference of opinion within the workings of your body.

That person can be sitting in front of a simulator (nothing around them is moving) and they begin to get all those well-known, familiar icky symptoms:

• Nausea
• Vomiting
• Headache
• Sweating
• Clammy Hands

Preventing Motion Sickness

I’ve been on only one cruise, and the water was pretty rough, but I was told ahead of time that ginger capsules might help. And they did. Because ginger is a natural substance, there’s no drowsiness. Lots of other passengers were lying on their beds in their cabins, but I was fine. (That’s a picture of a wild ginger plant.)

Of course, there are plenty of over-the-counter medications available as well, but Latina wasn’t prepared. She had no idea she was going to be the wimp in the family who gets sick.

But if she hadn’t been sick, she would never have crossed paths with Tully on that very first day!

Is Shorthand On Your List of Electives?

In my novel, Flower in the Hills, Latina’s friend Donna Dee is working to sharpen her shorthand writing skills. There was a time when shorthand classes were offered in every high school. My, how things do change.

Join me in the next blog where I’ll be giving more insight into this interesting skill of bygone days.

Meanwhile, keep on reading

Norma Jean

PS: In the comments box below tell me about your worst motion sickness experience! (barf)

PPS: Heads up!  The second title in the Norma Jean Lutz Classic Collection is about a girl who’s all mixed up about whether to enjoy her passion in life –or worry about what others think of her.  Ever feel that way? Tiger Beetle at Kendallwood is coming soon!