I'll Be Good Later-cough, cough

B's a Buzzin'
You hold your breath but it does not work, the vapor escapes through your mouth as you exhale a long held breath you have to admit it is cold; and you might as well face it. Your body cannot deny it, scrunched up and walking on stiffened legs that will not relax until spring. Winter draws you in without making you look thinner. Winter deals out great appetites for massive plates of food, hot and steaming, so excess flesh enters into the joke the season has played on you, and it does not keep you any warmer. So now, it is cold and you have a cold. Frigid weather makes you chronicle all aches and pains to anyone who will listen, they do not really have to listen just keep their face and glazed eyes turned toward you. The cold gets a hold of your personality and turns a sunny, pleasing person into a crabby, snippy speaking crone. It turns your fingers blue and toes numb. It does cause you to enjoy the fireplace (with furnace also going full force) and ignore the holes the sparks have burned in the carpet even though they look like squashed bugs, you don’t care, because you are staying under the afghan only a total house fire could get you to come out from under it that is except for food. The journey between the refrigerator and sofa gets longer but you are determined to get to the goodies because chewing can warm you up. You get respiratory problems because you take shallow breaths the air being too cool to take in too deeply to fill the lungs. You go ahead and have a crying jag if you want too because your eyes stay red and wet anyway, and you might as well get some good out of it, also the perpetual drip on the end of your nose fits right in with any scenario you want to use. You can’t breath when you lay down so you stay up and sniffle through “chic flicks” and there you go again, another reason to just let your whole face go with the flow, if your ears are stopped up, all the better. If you cannot get over it use it!


If you are able to go to church your winter allergies may make you seem to be emotional, that’s good, use this time in being a roll model to those hard-hearted people around you, lift your hand a litter higher while you are swiping your nose and if the music is playing make a praise wave. Without wasting, the effect in having a cold you can use a little forethought, and turn a cough into a gruff “Amen”. While you are in church if you cough loud enough or strangle while trying to sing, you may get extra prayer from those around you, just what that may entail is known only to the dear saints and God, but any prayer is sure to help. Take all of the sympathy you can get , it wont last long, nothing gets old as quick as someone else’s condition no matter how rare or interesting you think it is. When leaving church sanctuary you may feel the need to walk slightly hunched over, this may (or not) bring aid in the form of a young arm and a listening ear. If so, gently lead the person connected to the arm toward the nearest door and with humility in your voice tell them how this cold, cold weather makes you feel and if you have connected with a sympathetic spirit who has an un-confessed sin or two they may possibly think by helping you they are making amends. Their theology may be a little askew but you are really helping them by letting them do such a righteous thing. You will be praising again, when they go out into the blizzard or whatever and start your car. Be very gracious when they help you into the pre warmed atmosphere, leave the parking lot like a lady ( or gentleman) wave to the ones you cut off by accident they will understand because you have a bad cold and really need to get home. If they frown, pray for them, all the while keeping a pleasant but strained look on your face. If you are still in their view, hold your throat and let your shoulders shake while you cough in repentance and sorrow.

At home the day is sliding into evening and time for prayers and recuperation in bed, and tomorrow is another day, with expectation in your heart you fight your way to sleep while the drip on your nose congeals and connects you securely to the pillowslip.