Autumn is my favorite time of year. Clear sunny days, crisp starry nights, fantastic fall colors make October one of the best months here in Texas, but for every turning leaf there are a million mold spores waiting to latch onto the autumn air and construct a fortress of phlegm around the few brain cells I have left.
Yes, any moment a sneeze attack could cause my head to explode.
This same time last year I was in a Benadryl induced stupor. The nasty plastic bins in airport security were the incubator, but it’s true, October heralds the season of headaches and nose bleeds for me. My throat constricts. My eyes sting.
I become a mouth breather.
There is no reprieve from commitments, even for the walking dead. Last Monday night, on my way home from class, I took the scenic route to avoid the parking lot that is I-35. There isn’t much to see on the scenic route at night, but it is a much quieter drive. No swerving texters behind the wheel of their mobile phones. No sleep deprived truckers kicking up gravel onto my windshield as they drift onto the shoulder of the highway.
So, no expletives necessary.
As I made my way home, thinking about all of the things I needed to do, fatigue began to set in, the first sign my immune system was working overtime. I needed Benadryl, Motrin, and my pillow. Blogging has taken a backseat to homework and housework…and breathing. I do have an entry for this week’s Friday Fictioneers. Enjoy.
CRESCENDO
Lessons were going well. My teacher said I was a natural. I practiced in my room after school two hours every day, three on Saturdays. Playing more difficult pieces over the course of the summer, by Labor Day I was writing songs of my own. Then one day in October, suddenly the music stopped. I cried for a while and picked up the pieces as best I could, but I knew it would never be the same. My teacher arrived to find me slumped on the stairs, holding my head in my hands, groaning in agony.
“What happened?”
“I sneezed.”
*****
More Friday Fictioneers are here. Thanks, Rochelle, for such a fun and timely prompt.
Honie Briggs 
Ha! I didn’t realize sneezes could ruin a music career.
Awwww…God Bless You.
Allergies have a way of altering one’s daily routine…for several weeks or even…months. Speedy recovery…
Hope you’re feeling better. It’s obvious your art is imitating your life. Bless you!
I had to read other comments to understand the relationship ‘tween October allergies/hayfever. For us un the UK it’s May to July.
Nice little read.
Sorry my friend and Bless You. This was the perfect story for this time of year.
I am so grateful I am not plagued. It would make my second least favorite time of the year doubly bad.
Thanks Val. I’m feeling better today. I too am glad you are not plagued. What’s your favorite time of the year?
Funny how differently you southerners view autumn compared to us northerners. You’re worried about allergies, we’re worried about freezing to death in a month. We had our first snowfall end of the week. No accumulation but snowing nonetheless!
It’s true. When we lived in CO, there could have already been snow by this time of year. It’s funny, my dad lives farther south than me, and they had their first frost last night!
That was some sneeze! I hate the constraints allergies have put on our lives. Hope you get some serious relief soon. I loved the story 🙂
Hey, my sneezes have been known to cause whiplash. Relief is just one good overnight frost away. Thanks Russell. 😉
Dear Honie,
Sorry about all your allergies. I know how miserable that is. Delightful introduction and story. I lift my box of Puffs to your writing skill. Achoo!
Shalom,
Rochelle
Dear Rochelle,
That is a friend right there. Handy with a tissue and a compliment!
Thanks so much,
Honie
Dear Honie,
Gesundheit!
I loved your story. I have been Phlegm fortressed before so know the drill. Perfect segue from intro to offering to punchline. Very well done.
Aloha,
Doug
Dear Doug,
THANKEEEEW!!
Honie
It’s really unfortunate the wonderful season affects you adversely. Yet you still manage a good post.
The show must go on! No matter where we have lived, this time of year has always kicked my butt. It usually only lasts for a couple of weeks, and then I’m back to “normal.”
I loved your story and your title worked into it nicely. I do hope you feel better soon! I used to have allergies bad and most of the time I felt like I was hardly functioning. Carrie’s right. Time to see you doctor!
I guess I have been in denial. Not wanting to admit I have allergies because when we were kids, “being allergic” was for sissies. Gargling with salt water and slathering Vics Vapor Rub on at bedtime was the treatment of choice. Not so much anymore.
I can relate but with watery eyes and runny nose–not as much sneezing – sooooo sorry for you but at least you could be creative with it!
Yeah, when life gives you lemons or a crushing sinus headache… 🙂
I’m enjoying the story much more than you’re enjoying the condition. It’s been a bad year for allergies, unfortunately. Hope you find some relief soon.
janet
Thanks Janet.
Oh, sweetie, you need some better allergy meds. Benedryl is so sedating. Think Claritin or Zyrtec and nasal steroids. My husband and son would be miserable without them in spring and fall. I’m not a big fan of meds unless they’re truly needed, but allergies are an area where they can make a world of difference. Time to see your healthcare provider. We want a clear-headed, conscious, closed-mouth, happy Honie!
Oh, the doctor is in! I hope you get some relief, Honie!
Ah, yes, sticking my nose where it likely doesn’t belong… 😉
You girls are so sweet. Carrie, your advice is exactly right and appreciated. I guess I have always just dealt with it the best I could without need of a Dr. visit. Saving my co-pays for something big, I guess, is not the wisest thing to do. Neither is self-medicating – and with sub-standard results. Thank you both. Claritin, as you may have read here: https://honiebriggs.com/2012/11/12/the-drug-mule/, does find its way into our medicine cabinet. So, it may be time for me to stop being drug mule and become a user…god, I hope the NSA doesn’t read this and alert the DEA. You’ll be seeing a post about how seasonal allergies landed me in jail. 😉
Haha, I think you’ll be off the NSA’s radar if you stick with Claritin and nasal steroids. 🙂
Oh, nonsense. I would be grateful! 🙂
🙂
Isn’t that great, to have a personal physician check on me? I feel like Laura Ingalls Wilder
Yes, it is! Also, because Carrie really cares.
Let not the music stop. May she find another song in time.
A very sweet tale
She will. I’m sure of it. Thanks Charles.
I have the sneeze-a-thon all year round. I think I’m allergic to everything!
Oh, that is too bad. You may be interested in reading Allergic to Life, reviewed here: http://acflory.wordpress.com/2013/10/21/alergic-to-life-a-review/
Hilarious…oh, the story, not the condition. It is time for sneeze-a-thons, but I’ll take end of Oct. over summer anytime.
I hear ya. October is a welcomed escape from the hell that is summer in Texas.