Outdoor Adventures

Get outside and play with your friends

By Brian Schommer
Posted 6/2/23

June has arrived and I would like to think that finally, we no longer have to worry about things like winter, snow, shoveling, or ice.  Well, maybe ice as the form of water that is used to keep …

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Outdoor Adventures

Get outside and play with your friends

Posted

June has arrived and I would like to think that finally, we no longer have to worry about things like winter, snow, shoveling, or ice.  Well, maybe ice as the form of water that is used to keep our favorite beverages cool during the warm days of late spring and summer, but certainly no other ice to worry about.  It is time to fish, relax on the deck, take long drives, go to festivals, hang out at various ballparks, and anything else you like to do at this glorious time of the year.  It is truly the best time of the year, in my opinion, to get out and enjoy the great outdoors.  However, if you have allergies, it can certainly be a struggle sometimes.  The stuffy nose and the itchy eyes are the tip of the iceberg.  The same nose and eyes often have a hard time deciding on just how they want to react to the numerous allergens present at any given time.  If these body parts could talk, this is the discussion I feel they would have.

“Hey eyes, I have a question for you,” says the nose.  “Yes nose,” responds the eyes, “What would you like to know?”  The nose then asks, “There seems to be quite a bit of pollen in the air today and I was wondering, do you think I should just block off both nostrils so our person simply cannot breathe, or should I remain open and be runny all day long?”  The eyes think about the question for a bit which puts them into a bit of a quandary as well.  “That definitely is a difficult decision,” says the eyes.  “We are undecided which way you should go and now, we are debating if we should be itchy, causing our person great discomfort or if we should spring a leak from our liquid chambers instead.”  As the nose and eyes continue discussing how they are to move forward, including a short discussion about adding sneezing to the picture, their person’s muscles and joints chime in also on ways they can come to the allergy party.  All this talk starts to make the brain work overtime, causing a headache.  All this results in an allergy attack.

            Those of you into science might want to tell me that no discussions between body parts ever happen and allergic reactions are how the body reacts to certain allergens that it does not tolerate well.  I taught science for three weeks as a substitute teacher, so I am aware.  I also did fairly well in a Creative Writing course in college (a very long time ago) and currently I am at word “459” which is just over the halfway point of this column, so in an effort to stretch things out a bit and give you a giggle or two on the way to the end, I thought it was a fun “bit.”  Sadly, allergies are no laughing matter to those of us who have them. 

            Yes, if you have allergies, we have something in common and you know first-hand that they are a total pain in the butt.  The last several days have been beating me down like a rug on mom’s old clothesline.  Stuffy nose here, runny nose there, dry throat, sneezing, runny and itchy eyes, aches, and pains… ALL OF IT.  Zyrtec certainly helps, an ample supply of Kleenex is scattered throughout the house, and there is the desire to enjoy the outdoors that helps overcome the whole allergy thing for me.  Well, that and a good nap here and there when I can fit one in.  I won’t say that I am “winning over allergies” like it says in the commercial, but being stubborn by nature, and that nature is the person who raised me, I am doing my best to get outdoors and deal with my allergies as best I can, because again, this is the time of year to get out of the house and enjoy life.

            You see, when I was a kid, we did not stay in the house to play video games (Pong simply was not as exciting as Xbox or PSwhatever number they are up to now), or even watch television, unless it was raining outside.  My mom, like parents all around our neighborhood, had a phrase that was common for all of them to use.  “Go outside and play with your friends, and don’t come home until lunch time.”  That was an order from headquarters, and it was not optional.  If you even tried to argue, you got the look, and anyone growing up in the late 1970’s to mid-1980’s knows exactly what that look was.  That look from my mom translated to, “do you see that rug on the clothesline” which is funny because my mom was as gentle as they came and never raised her hand to me, even though she had more than ample reason to do so.  Staunch and stubborn, yes but never physical when it came to discipline.  I just knew that when Mom said go out and play, despite my allergies which were probably worse as a kid, she was doing it because it was what was best for me.  You see, I have friendships that span nearly 50 years because of her direction.  I have memories of those days that unless my health someday will not allow, I will always have.  My love for the outdoors was created by the phrase, “Go outside and play with your friends.”  Now I say to you, “Get Out and Enjoy the Great Outdoors.”