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Sneeze and Thank You

In Doing The Deed by Holly Walker

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I heard a woman sneeze today, so I said, “Bless you.” It was a fairly big sneeze. Her head almost popped off.

Today’s good deed: SAY “GESUNDHEIT” WHEN A STRANGER SNEEZES

She seemed surprised when I said it, as if I were going against the grain of society by being polite. It seems, now that I’m living in a big city, that it’s almost more hip to be cynical and uncivil. But that’s not me.

I was raised in a small, Midwestern town. How small you ask? It only has four stoplights … and one of them blinks yellow so I don’t think it counts.

Small town folk generally say hello on the street and are quick to say “God bless you” when someone sneezes. And we speak to people in elevators, not that we have that many buildings that required elevators. Maybe we speak because we’re just excited to be in an elevator.

Small town folks aren’t the only ones who respond to sneezes though. Germans say “Gesundheit.” It means “Health.” I prefer, “Bless you.” I kinda like what the Chinese say though. According to Wikipedia, when someone sneezes in China they say, “Drink more water.” Apparently the proper response is to say, “He he. Sorry.” I, however, would take great pride in saying, “Shut up! You’re not the boss of me.”

The Portuguese say, “May God put a blanket on you,” when someone sneezes. Interesting. What sound do you suppose one has to make to get a Snuggie? And the Mongolians say, “May God forgive you,” which I guess is a nice sentiment. But … really? God needs to forgive me for a sneeze? Like He’s up there saying, “Son of a … I told Holly not to sneeze today!!!”

Usually my “Bless you” is met with a “Thank you” and a smile. I’ve never had anyone say, “I don’t need your flipping blessing! Go screw yourself!” People get that I care about their well-being, if only for a moment. It’s a teeny tiny good deed, but a good deed all the same. And any good deed, regardless of its size, is nothing to sneeze at.

Photo (Flickr CC) by Chris Costes

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Holly Walker

Ms. Walker made her acting debut at the tender age of 8 in For Spring is the Season of Happiness. She almost turned down the role of Mother Nature (she wanted the role of "Spring") until she found out Mother Nature had the most lines. On that day, a diva was born. Holly has traveled the world performing comedy. She has been to more than 40 U.S. states and over 30 countries worldwide. She is an alum of the improvisational companies Boom Chicago and The Second City. Holly currently works on The Nightly Show with Larry Wilmore as a writer and performer. She has been a part of the Rebel Storytellers family since 2009 and hopes to be with them for many years to come.
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