Everyday Canvas

Sneeze = Sternutation

Prompt: Many different people have very unique sneezes. Which one of your friends has the loudest and most boisterous sneeze? Think about that friend for a minute, would you say that sneeze fits with his or her personality? Why or Why not? How would you describe your own sneeze?

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Forget friends, I take the cake on sneezes. The sneeze might fit my personality, or possibly not, because I am allergic to most anything in air, and my sneezes are at least triple-fold with the power of a volcanic explosion. Most of my friends sense their sneezes beforehand and have enough time to hold a tissue to their noses, to make the sound of ‘pssst’; if only I could be that quiet…Still, I revel in the beauty of what everyone says to me after my detonations: “Bless You!”

Medical literature says a sneeze is semi-automatic. That means people might have some control over it. Not in my case. My sneezes are automatic with the force of an uncontrolled semi-truck rolling down a steep hill.

But then, a sneeze can be a signal or an omen from the beyond; at least some believed it to be so, at one time or another. This interesting fact is from Wikipedia:

“In Ancient Greece, sneezes were believed to be prophetic signs from the gods. In 401 BC, for instance, the Athenian general Xenophon gave a speech exhorting his fellow soldiers to fight against the Persians. A soldier underscored his conclusion with a sneeze. Thinking that this sneeze was a favorable sign from the gods, the soldiers were impressed. Another divine moment of sneezing for the Greeks occurs in the story of Odysseus. His waiting wife Penelope, hearing Odysseus may be alive, says that he and his son would take revenge on the suitors if he were to return. At that moment, their son sneezes loudly and Penelope laughs with joy, reassured that it is a sign from the gods (Odyssey 17: 541-550).”

No wonder I always thought Greeks to be such fun people! Except when they show up bearing gifts, but that’s another story.