Skip to main content

'Tis the Sneezin’


     The hallway at Lincoln seemed to only house myself as I walked from the copy room to my classroom on this frigid early Friday morning.  As I walked the tickle in my nose produced a sneeze that undoubtedly echoed to several rooms nearby.  I regained my composure as often my sneezes tend to stop me in my tracks, and while doing so I heard a faint, “Bless You”…I wasn’t alone after all.

     I thanked the lone voice and continued on my way to my classroom.  As I trudged up the steep Lincoln staircase I began thinking about sneezes.  I realized that each person really has their own distinctive sneeze.  Some are loud and boisterous while others are quick, soft, and discreet.  Some come in waves, one after another, while others are few and far between.  You might even say that a sneeze, in some ways, reflects a person’s personality.

     Now that December has arrived it’s probably safe to say “Old Man Winter” is digging his heels in.  The classroom cloak closets are filled with gloves and hats; some strewn on the floor while others hang from winter jacket pockets.  Scarves, mittens, and boots are the order of the season.  The Kleenex boxes in the classroom have now become a common “go to” place.

     I thought more about the phrase, “Bless You” and realized that almost every single time someone sneezes and at least one other person is around, the phrase ensues.  Kids and adults alike practice this socially acceptable etiquette.

     My curiosity got the best of me and I did a quick research on the origin of the phrase.  Interestingly enough, this is what I found:

~In AD 590 the bubonic plague ran rampant.  Pope Gregory ordered prayer ministers into the streets charged with the duty of “blessing” anyone who sneezed, as a sneeze was believed to be an indication that the disease was ‘brewing” inside the “sneezer”.  The blessing was thought to help curtail the onset of the sickness.
~Another thought was that a sneeze allowed the spirit to escape the body or allowed an evil spirit to enter.  Saying “Bless You” thwarted this from occurring.
~Still another idea was that the heart stopped beating when one sneezed and the saying, “Bless You” encourages the heart to beat once again.
~In some cultures, sneezing is an indication of good fortune.  Saying the phrase was a response to acknowledge one’s good fortune bestowed upon them.
~Finally, saying the phrase was simply a response to a physiological occurrence not fully understood.

     While the attempts at finding the origin of the phrase "Bless You” is indeed fascinating, what I find more fascinating is that without really thinking about it we all, for the most part, always say the phrase after someone sneezes.  I find it comforting to share that common practice with so many people.  It never seems to fail, in the midst of almost any situation when a person sneezes and another is around, a response of care, based on whatever origin one believes in, is expressed.


Mr. Casten
Dec. 6, 2013

Copyrighted material of Michael C. Casten

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Looking Out

Looking Out Originally written May 27, 2015 Lightly edited for clarity in August 2026. Just hours ago, my students left. They are on their way to summer adventures, family time, and friends. Just as quickly as they walked into my life, they walked out again. Yet each of them will always be a part of my life. When a school year begins, my new students are just that—students. They arrive as a group, and at first there is little that distinguishes them beyond their physical appearance. They are quiet, reserved, and and still unknown to me. During those first few days, I snap a picture of each one, not yet knowing who they really are. I work to learn their names and match each one to a classroom number. I try to figure out who knows whom from the neighborhood. I share pieces of my own life, hoping they'll eventually share theirs. Time meanders on. Slowly, they begin to let their light shine. Slowly, they begin to share what's important to them. Slowly, I'm afforded the opportu...
Post a Comment
Read more

Art & Science

     The familiar winds of autumn blew rapidly through the playground.   Ponytails flying, unzipped jackets flapping, and soaring playground balls all took errant paths.        Just as fall has briskly left so has trimester one.   Reports cards were sent home today and I plan on placing the final touches to each student’s conference narrative.   The practice of filling out the narrative for my students has become one of my favorite “at home” aspects of teaching.   I look forward to retreating to my little office in the basement, surrounded by the faint noises of my family upstairs, and writing.   I seem to enter into a world only my students and I really know; the life of Room 211 on a daily basis.       My mind pictures each student as I am writing about them.   Their faces make an entrance into my thoughts followed by the smile I see each day.   I travel back in t...
2 comments
Read more

Running...

Running... Original post written on August 18, 2012. Minor changes for clarity made in Aug 2026. Twelve years. That's how long I have been teaching at Lincoln. Twelve years. That's how long I have taken the same route from my house to school. In that time I have seen many houses for sale, then sold. Some were torn down to make room for a new house, a new family, and new students. I've seen the streets that I traverse through Elmhurst being ripped apart and rebuilt to make them safer and more driver friendly, not to mention more car-friendly. Twelve years. I've seen high school kids standing on corners, waiting for the school bus to pick them up for school. Some of them recognize my car while others recognize me as their former teacher. Most of them, however, probably do not pay much attention to me as I pass by. Among all that I see, Monday through Friday mornings there is an unmistakable figure, usually two blocks ahead of me on Fairfield. He is a man. He has slightly ...
Post a Comment
Read more