I am convinced that my nostrils are too small for my body. It has always felt like I was never getting enough air into my lungs through my nose. So when something blocked the airflow, like a chunk of snot, I would use my finger to clear the blockage.
I would love to lie right now and say I have more grace and style than shoving my finger deep into my nostrils, but that is not me. Using a tissue and gracefully clearing the way for more air doesn’t work. Yes, it works for others, but for me, I had an odd case of blowback. It was years ago, during a nasty cold season, when my sinuses were just filled with that goo, and I tried to blow it out as hard as I could. I guess it was so thick that nothing came out of my nose, but instead backfired into my ear. At every attempt to blow my nose, I would hear and feel air rushing through my ear instead of my nose. It took years for this to heal and work properly again. Naturally, I am hesitant to use any rush of air to dislodge a booger. Finger it is!
Do not deny it. We all do this. The finger is the most convenient tool for nasal clearage. It is like it was designed for that very purpose. No matter your finger size, it will always fit in your nose. It is my preferred method, and if you are around young kids, like a school bus driver, you will know it is the only method that they use.
Recently, I mentioned that I miss driving the elementary kids. High schoolers just sleep on the bus, but younger kids talk about the most interesting things. A bus driver came to me and told me what he had overheard on his bus. He was listening to two boys chatting. One tells the other that if you pick someone else’s nose, it will feel different.
Was this boy speaking from experience?
Why was it necessary to share this with his friend?
Was the child hinting at his friend for some nasal assistance?
I can say with absolute honesty, sticking your finger in someone else’s nose does feel different. During some rough-and-tumble play, I did it by accident in my youth and still remember the feeling of someone else’s freshly picked nose gold on my finger, and the disgust.
For me, picking someone’s nose left a horrible scar in my memory. But for the kid, I think he might have really enjoyed it and hoped his friend would too.
The question now posed is, what did the boy do with someone else’s snot? This is something I do not want to imagine.
