Tilt-A-Whirl

When I heard that the Holden Arboretum has a woven sculpture on special exhibit, I was so excited to see it snow-covered that I took my first snow-shoe trek to the magnificent piece of art. It is called the Tilt-A-Whirl because of its flowing movement woven together by willow sticks. Amazing! I felt like I kid exploring a tree fort. So of course, I left a snow angel for others to enjoy.

Seeing the smooth movement of the stickworks across the sky brought back memories of the fair ride the Tilt-A-Whirl. Some fond and not so fond memories of that ride. I could handle the ride no problem if no-one turned the wheel in the car making it spin. Constant spinning or riding it more than once, well let's just say those created the not so fond memories!

Growing up in Gig Harbor, every year we looked forward to the Puyallup Fair. Back in the day, the high school students got one afternoon off along with free tickets to the fair. It was more about hanging out and seeing friends than riding the rides. But we were always a go for the Tilt-A-Whirl and the Ferris Wheel. Every Fall it was one of those cherished times, so ripe with memories I can almost smell it. The smell of fall in the air, the sawdust in the midway, and nothing beats the smell of fresh baked Fisher’s Fair scones – oozing with raspberry jam.

For me, it seems that life has been a bit of a Tilt-A-Whirl ride the past four years. The ups, downs, and spins of continual movement that go along with a cancer journey. Dealing with cancer has been likened to many a fair ride: the Whack-A-Mole game, Tilt-A-Whirl ride, and the roller coaster.

Now my Tilt-A-Whirl is going for another spin. I have acclimated to the side-effects of the Parp inhibitor that I’ve been on for a year and a half with the help of daily naps. And I am grateful to enjoy the outdoors at every possible opportunity. However my cancer decided to grow again. I am glad that it didn’t invite any friends (no new metastases,) but am still not happy it grew back to the size it was prior to chemo. Grrrr!

After thorough discussion with my oncologist, we decided on our plan of attack: laparoscopic surgery followed by a maintenance drug. I am very pleased with the decision and look forward to getting this pesky bugger out next week. I laughed as I told my pre-surgery nurse to note I’m a puker, you know… what happens when you go on too many fair rides!

Embracing this Note to Self: “you get to choose your attitude towards any challenge“ from The Awesome Human Project book.

I choose to remain positive with the hope of getting off the Tilt-A-Whirl ride for a bit, or at least enjoy the ride without someone spinning the wheel!