What about boogers?

Everyone has them, some more than others. Allergy sufferers like myself tend to generate more than most. Some are clear and runny and will crust up just inside the nostril depending on the nose shape and size. I am most familiar with this type as I deal with them everyday when I venture outdoors where pollens flourish. Others are more viscous and tinted from pale skin tones into deep symptomatic yellows and even to worrisome blood tinged brown. These tend to dry hard while still attached to a long rope seemingly running all the way back down into the throat. Generally this extreme form are a sign of some more severe respiratory distress than mere allergy. The average non-allergic healthy person experiences boogers of a less threatening nature than either the constant running of the clear allergic form or the viscous slim of infection. The question remains. What about boogers?

I don't remember being taught to not pick my nose. I do remember when it was first discovered that I had allergy problems and having to carry tissues with me everywhere to avoid the salty ooze running down over my upper lip and either dripping from my chin or landing on my tongue.

I do remember Edward from second grade. He sat across the row from me. He is the reason I could never name one of my sons Edward nor would I want any of my grandsons so named. Edward was one of those people with more than the normal allotment. While his mother sent him to school with a large handkerchief, I think it was simply not sufficient, looking back on it now. To my horror and utter disbelief, Edward spent most of the class mining his fill and making deposits of his treasures in the closest depository to be found. You got it, his mouth! I could not concentrate on what the teacher was saying and my education was forever stilted by my lack of focus in second grade.

My manly man husband feels this too sensitive a subject to even be addressed in private let alone for public reading. This is such a strong taboo in polite company. Our three year old grandson is enamored with nose mining despite his parent's constant reminders of its inappropriateness. Some how as the adoring grandmother I don't fault my grandson for his passion with picking.

In my life I have observed several types of behavior related to the booger dilemma. There is the prim and proper tissue and hanky carrier who adheres to the social protocols of never allowing bodily fluids to touch the hands. This group only ever blows their nose into the tissue delicately and disposes of the tissue after one use and promptly washes their hands. I can not attest to how the prim and proper type handle themselves in private. Perhaps they get more comfortable with themselves when alone.

The other extreme would be the Edwards of this world. Even in my callous acceptance of boogers as a natural function of life, this group is difficult to forgive even in small children. The majority of people I think fall in varying degrees between the prim and proper tissue carrier to just short of Edward. I have seen the discreet picker, the indiscreet full finger picker, the single nostril-no-tissue blow-to-the-side outdoor clearing, and finally the picker-flicker! Which one are you?