Let's talk about....

Blowing noses. There's a lot of that goin on around here the last few days. I could probably write a book about this subject but I'm gonna try and pare it down for your benefit. Here's something that I don't see a whole lot of anymore.......men using handkerchiefs. A more grotesque practice I can't think of. I was recently meeting with a parent and a student of mine and the parent pulled out his white handkerchief, blew his nose in it and then tucked that baby back in his pocket. What the hell is that? We expel mucus from the body for a reason. When I am forced to blow my nose (which I hate doing by the way) I want that mucus and the tissue it is now contained in as far away from me as possible. In fact, if I could burn it I would. I don't understand why anyone would want it in their pocket and then why they would utilize the same cloth to blow their nose in later on that same day. Let's not even go into the fact that someone is laundering said cloth.

This morning Heather and I were talking about this very topic. My father-in-law uses a handkerchief. Heather says that not all men who use handkerchief's are using them to blow their noses in. She says that her dad used to use his while working on the ranch to wipe the sweat of his brow. That I understand. However, are you telling me that there was never a day when a brow wiper suddenly had the urge to sneeze? The next time he wipes his brow he's got mucus on his forehead.

Perhaps it's a geographical issue? The midwest is very humid and, in my experience, does not wreack nearly the havoc on the nose as warmer and drier climates. Out here it's different. I'm not going to sit in here in front of this keyboard and tell you that I never have to go in and clean house. Sometimes blowing your nose out here can be a dangerous proposition. You can get a piston booger or a boulder booger to come loose and that thing can shoot out of a nostril with propulsion that NASA would gladly harness. The difference is.....I don't keep it in my pocket all day.