Coughing Up the Crud

SPONSOR: www.linkedin.com/in/jimdascenzo/   Ps 40: Here I am, Lord, I come to do your will.  Ps 124: Our help is in the name of the Lord.

It happens to me all the time, unfortunately.

I can be at my desk...on my couch...at ​church (extra hard cringe) and most often, in a restaurant.

One of the most severe episodes I ever had took place at a little Italian joint frequented by my folks when they fly south...Maria's Pizza & Pasta, I believe. Pretty sure it's not open anymore. I digress.

I think Kyle was about three or so when the most severe spell unfolded. It all started with a sip of Diet Pepsi that went down that wrong pipe everyone's always referencing.

I had a coughing fit "to beat the band", as my Mom says. And we're talking the best damned band in the land, yo.    O...H...

So, yeah, it was a bonafide gagging DISASTER that scared the bejeepers out of my then-toddler --and caused my parents and hubby a few concerned moments, too.

Not to mention being THOROUGHLY EMBARRASSING, given that the entire restaurant --filled to capacity with diners-- was gawking at me like I had just landed in the dining room from Jupiter. We're talking some serious staring.

"What y'all never saw a Yankee choking on her soda before?" I'd have asked --if I could stop humiliating myself long enough. Um, I could not.

And because I have mild dysphagia (a/k/a swallowing issues), I'm quite used to the whole sordid process...including the nasty business of coughing up the crud culprit.

You know the deal, it's rather like when you've got a bad cold and there's all that icky gunk cramming up your nostrils and/or oozing down the back of your throat. That gnarly, yucky stuff you cough up and spit out as often as possible.

Blech.

I guess life occasionally presents similar situations. Say, for instance, when you're stuck in a conversation with someone tremendously negative or mean-spirited or offensive...or all of the above.

When faced with some such scene, I often hearken back to that fateful dinner at Maria's; remembering how, when I finally coughed up all that crud, I felt 1,000 times better. 

So...the next time some hater tries cramming their bad mojo down YOUR throat, just cough that crud right up and out. Be sure to wash it down with a nice tall glass of good vibe juice. It tastes so much better and goes down way SMOOTH, you dig?   

​#IgnoreNegativity #BeHappy  #Smile ​#Love #Pray#Peace 

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