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Let’s Not Blow This Out of Proportion

Lets+Not+Blow+This+Out+of+Proportion

The sound of me blowing my nose has been mistaken for a couple of miscellaneous sounds.  One notable one is a honking car or the sound of a trumpet.

This is all very upsetting to hear.  I don’t want to be the cause of other peoples’ lapse in ability to differentiate sounds.

My nose blowing wakes my family up in the morning and keeps my family awake at night.

It has even been deemed a “disruption to the class” by one of my teachers freshman year.

During an allergy season, my nose blowing got so out of hand I was told I had to step out of the classroom whenever I needed to blow my nose.

My teacher thought she was saving me from the embarrassment of having to blow my nose in front of what seemed to be a very anti-nose-blowing class with their demeaning glares, when instead, she was dooming me to an even worse fate.

Once outside the classroom, I was subjected to the judgmental stares of the hallway-wanderers.  It seemed as though there was some sort of mandated bathroom break every time I was sent into the hallway because students

poured out of their classrooms.

There I was, standing in the hallway.  Alone.  Tissue on nose.  I think these people  thought my tissue was covering my eyes, and not my nose, because they openly gawked at me as if I couldn’t see them.

When looking back and reflecting on my career as a nose-blower, it is hard to ignore the repercussions. It has not only affected the relationship I have with my teachers, but it has also affected the relationship I have with my classmates, who look at me contemptuously for having seasonal allergies.

How can something that brings so much pleasure and clarity to my nasal passageway affect my academic life and reputation so negatively?

We have to understand something here: I cannot

change the way my air flow gets obstructed by the fluids congesting my naval septum.

All I ask here is next time you hear or see someone blowing their nose, pay them the respect they deserve.

I’d also like a little respect here too, and if you can’t respect the fact that I have irregular amounts of nasal mucus in my nose, you at least have to respect the fact that I’ve written an article about it that the whole school, and more, will read.

But I’m not complaining.

Because hey, it’s a hard snot life.

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About the Contributor
Jenna McNicholas, Staff Writer
Jenna McNicholas ’15 is a charming girl with an equally stunning personality. She is both a good student and athlete, as well as a good friend and competitor. But finally she is the girl next door that you brag about going to school with. She has a drive that she not only uses towards her writing for Inklings, but also uses in her sport, lacrosse. Now committed to Middlebury, she spent her summer on the field battling for a spot on both Middlebury’s lacrosse team as well as in their classes. "The process was stressful so I am happy to get back to school for the start of my senior year,” said McNicholas. Being on the varsity girls lacrosse team, she has a very limited amount of free time, yet she continues to add more to her plate by writing for Inklings. When asked what made her want to write for Inklings, she said that it was due to her fellow peers and the witty and rather funny writing that is demonstrated in the opinion section. Which just so happens to be her favorite type of article to write. “My favorite part of writing opinion pieces is being able to write my voice into the pieces as well as express her opinions in a place were it has a chance at influencing others,” McNicholas said.

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