Gesundheit!

On the bus this morning, a woman sat across from me sneezing her poor little head off. No one was acknowledging her--so after her third sneeze I slid in there with a tiny little "bless you." She nodded and said "thank you."

I then sat back and thought about the little exchange that just took place. Isn't it totally weird? Why did I feel so compelled to "bless" this stranger? I mean, I'm pretty sure this woman is not coming down with the bubonic plague any time soon. Right?

But then I remembered my upbringing...

Growing up, my dad was always extremely offended if his sneeze was met with silence.

Dad: ACHOOO!
Me: [silence]
Sister: [silence]
Mom: [silence]

awkward silence....

Dad: WELL, GOD FORBID ANYONE SHOULD BLESS ME!

The moral of the story is, if you ever meet my dad and ignore his sneeze--you better not ask him for any favors.