Day #86

This morning I headed out the door at 7:00 because I wanted to get my walk in before the chaos of the day set in. It was pretty chilly when I stepped out the door, and I immediately felt my sinuses having problems. I had so much drainage that it started to choke me (I know, pleasant subject) but it was actually making me gag. Then my eyes started watering, and I kept thinking, oh please stop gagging, because I will die of embarrassment if I throw up! As I continued to gag and cry, I walked toward 7-11 thinking that I would go in, find the rest room and blow my nose. I walked in and looked around for a restroom.

The lady behind the counter asked if she could help me and I told her I was looking for the restroom. She informed me that they didn't have one, and it was then that I noticed that she was really staring at me. I quickly said, "Oh, okay,but do you have tissues behind the counter because I'm out walking and I really need to blow my nose." I have no clue why I blurted that out, but I did. She looked me up and down, and it was then that I became acutely aware of the fact that I probably looked like a homeless person.

I had rolled out of bed and changed into my walking clothes, which happened to be the first things I laid my hands on. I didn't shower and instead plopped a baseball cap on my head, which of course didn't fully cover my straw-like hair that was sticking out at awkward angles. I was wearing an over sized sweatshirt from the Post Office that advertised Christmas package delivery, sweatpants, and hiking boots. I know my face was puffy from all of the gagging and crying that I had just been doing, so I am quite sure I had that homeless air about me. I imagined her thinking, You expect me to believe that you want to use 7-11 paper products to blow your nose when I am quite sure you are just going to poop in the woods with it. You can see that my imagination was in overdrive, but I'm sure you've heard the expression, if looks could kill....well her stares were hell bent on killing me!

She finally said, "I can give you a napkin." I thanked her and practically bolted out of the store clutching my 7-11 napkin--I would love to know the fiber count of that bad boy, because I'm here to tell you it was thinner than Polish toilet paper. I made a big show out of blowing my nose outside and throwing it into the trash can that sat right in front of the window. When I glanced back into the store, she was still watching me! Long story short...the nose blowing worked, my sinuses settled down and I walked for an hour.