Travelling home on the train last night, I had a coughing fit. I'd spent the day facilitating in a room with a very dry atmosphere. I drank a lot of water during the day, but it obviously was not enough. After I left the building, I had to walk about fifteen minutes to the train station in the cold air. By the time I boarded the train, my throat and mouth were feeling dry and ticklish.
About two minutes into the train journey, I had that ticklish feeling in my throat that was telling me to cough. I also had that feeling that if I started I wouldn't be able to stop. I tried swallowing. I tried breathing, but that made it worse. Soon I was in the throes of coughing and being unable to stop.
I couldn't get my breath. I could feel my face was hot and probably red. People sitting nearby started to shuffle. They started to look sideways at me. I even caught a couple of glares. I had my mouth covered while I rummaged in my handbag to find a tissue. It wasn't as if I was coughing on people; but the coughing was becoming more and more violent.
Soon I was able to arrest the coughing. I sat trying to recover and catch my breath. I did catch my breath and the coughing started again. It was awful. I felt out of control, helpless.
I felt a hand tap me on the shoulder and turned towards it. There was a woman sitting behind me. She asked me if I was okay and offered me some cough lozenges. I was already sucking one of those so I said no to the lozenge but thanked her for her consideration. I really liked the fact that she had been able to step away from the dominant culture in that train carriage which was to mind your own business. As well as thanking her, I managed to let her know that I was okay and was just fighting a "tickle" that seemed to be irritated every time I inhaled.
I was so grateful to her. Before she reached out to me, I had wondered how I would get anyone's attention if I really needed it. Most people seemed to be plugged in and tuned out. I hope that if I was in serious distress, someone who could see me would have come to my aid before things careened off track.
The gesture offered by that woman, was a random act of kindness and I really appreciated it.
What random act of kindness did you perform today? Perhaps you were the recipient of a random act of kindness. What did someone do for you today?
*****
I'm passing some kindness on to Australian based readers of divacultura. I'm offering the opportunity to win one of three double passes to see the film "Hysteria", courtesy of Hopscotch Films. Details of how to win are in this post. Entries close Friday.
Showing posts with label coughs. Show all posts
Showing posts with label coughs. Show all posts
Wednesday, 18 July 2012
Wednesday, 30 May 2012
Please ask me before you share.
It's 'flu season. I don't have it, but after being on public transport today I've increased my zinc dosage and positive thinking shield in the hope that I will remain untouched. As I catch public transport everywhere I know it's probably just a matter of time.
Travelling home this evening, I was encased in a carriage with a man who was sweating so much he had to mop his face with a handkerchief repeatedly during the journey. He was coughing without covering his mouth, generously sharing whatever he was carrying with all of us and doing that revolting super sniff. I'm not talking about mere sniffing where one breathes in through the nose. I'm talking about the action that results in whatever is residing in the nasal passages being inhaled back down the throat. Oh the sound that signals that! It is a beastly symphony! Worse than the soundtrack of a horror film.
One person making these sounds within a carriage seems to trigger the sinuses and throats of at least half of the fellow passengers. Soon it becomes a percussive symphony, threatening illness with every beat, every vibration.
At one level there is the rhythmic sniffer, recognisable by the single sniff every four beats or so. It doesn't sound particularly congested but it IS annoying. If they are nearby, I usually offer a tissue. They either take the tissue or they shut up.
Add in coughers at various pitches. The wet tenor cough, awful with rattling. Sometimes in harmony with a soprano toddler who is guaranteed to not cover the mouth. The dry barking baritone, usually played in triplets, offering interest with the cross rhythm it adds.
It's hard to believe that all of this is is barely enough to drown out the loud talkers on mobile phones revealing private details of their sex lives, deception of parents, financial failings and the more mundane bitching about co-workers and flatmates.
Days like today help me understand why Japanese people are frequently seen wearing masks. I breathe into my scarf, am choosy about what I touch when I'm out and about and avoid touching my face or putting my fingers in my mouth. I often refuse to shake hands or if this is not possible I carry hand sanitiser in my hand bag. I use it after touching things that are likely to be germ laden and before and after I eat. Can you imagine what would be on the handles in trains, the rails on escalators and staircases...and money? Shudder. When I'm home, I just wash my hands.
As far as I know, I don't suffer from OCD but I will suffer if I can't work and therefore can't earn an income.
As a community service, I wish everyone would be considerate about when and how they share their germs and diseases. Asking permission before you cough all over me would be polite. And I will refuse permission every time!
Travelling home this evening, I was encased in a carriage with a man who was sweating so much he had to mop his face with a handkerchief repeatedly during the journey. He was coughing without covering his mouth, generously sharing whatever he was carrying with all of us and doing that revolting super sniff. I'm not talking about mere sniffing where one breathes in through the nose. I'm talking about the action that results in whatever is residing in the nasal passages being inhaled back down the throat. Oh the sound that signals that! It is a beastly symphony! Worse than the soundtrack of a horror film.
One person making these sounds within a carriage seems to trigger the sinuses and throats of at least half of the fellow passengers. Soon it becomes a percussive symphony, threatening illness with every beat, every vibration.
At one level there is the rhythmic sniffer, recognisable by the single sniff every four beats or so. It doesn't sound particularly congested but it IS annoying. If they are nearby, I usually offer a tissue. They either take the tissue or they shut up.
Add in coughers at various pitches. The wet tenor cough, awful with rattling. Sometimes in harmony with a soprano toddler who is guaranteed to not cover the mouth. The dry barking baritone, usually played in triplets, offering interest with the cross rhythm it adds.
It's hard to believe that all of this is is barely enough to drown out the loud talkers on mobile phones revealing private details of their sex lives, deception of parents, financial failings and the more mundane bitching about co-workers and flatmates.
Days like today help me understand why Japanese people are frequently seen wearing masks. I breathe into my scarf, am choosy about what I touch when I'm out and about and avoid touching my face or putting my fingers in my mouth. I often refuse to shake hands or if this is not possible I carry hand sanitiser in my hand bag. I use it after touching things that are likely to be germ laden and before and after I eat. Can you imagine what would be on the handles in trains, the rails on escalators and staircases...and money? Shudder. When I'm home, I just wash my hands.
As far as I know, I don't suffer from OCD but I will suffer if I can't work and therefore can't earn an income.
As a community service, I wish everyone would be considerate about when and how they share their germs and diseases. Asking permission before you cough all over me would be polite. And I will refuse permission every time!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)