As I rested my cheek on the side of the sink basin, bringing myself to eye level with the faucet, I had one of those “Yes, I am actually sitting here at 1:23 in the morning on Valentine’s Day (or morning after as it was) with the business end of a plastic blue teapot stuck up my nose” moments. Another “moment” was soon had when in an attempt to proceed with recommended sinus irrigation, I accidentally rerouted some of the lovely neti pot saltwater mixture down the back of my throat. Mmmm, tasty. All of a sudden I flashed back to the yearly treks my mother, sister and I would take to Houston to see Gigi, my maternal grandmother. Part of our yearly romps down south included a day or two playing on the beach in Galveston. The sad fate of an exuberant yet clumsy child like me on these beach adventures was that I frequently experienced a little more wave than ever initially intended. Being the eternal optimist that I was, I would see a wave approaching and grossly overestimate my ability to surf, swim through, or simply stand up against said wave. Before I knew it…WHOOOSH…I had a mouthful of saltwater. It stung for a moment, and most definitely loosened up my sinuses. But did it ever stop me? No! I kept right on truckin’. I suppose it wasn’t necessarily an accident, this neti pot sinus irrigation turned full-on saltwater shot that I had today. Feeling like I had developed a little too much closeness with the "bottom of the bucket" as I clumsily maneuvered the plastic blue teapot into my right nostril, the memory of my tenacity on our beach vacations reminded me that sometimes we have situations, days, people, months, or even years that get us down. But the most important thing is that no matter how big the wave that knocks us off center, we always get back up again....or, try the other nostril.
P.S. If you ever find yourself dateless, and standing in the Wal-Mart pharmacy contemplating saltwater sinus irrigation in the middle of the night on Valentine's....take a quick trip over to the seasonal section after stocking your allergy artillery, for they start selling their mounds of red cellophane-wrapped goodies at half price when the clock strikes midnight. You'll appreciate having a little treat after enduring your saltwater teapot adventure.
Me, Galveston Beach...circa 1980-something ;-)
