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Can we talk about when I quit saying 'bless you' after sneezes?
I just stopped saying 'bless you' when someone sneezes. It always seemed like a weird thing we do without thinking. My friend sneezed three times in a row and I didn't say a word. She stared at me like I broke some law. But it made me realize how many tiny rules we follow. Now I just let the moment pass. It feels kind of freeing to ignore that norm.
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price.tara29d ago
Actually that used to be something I did without even noticing, just an auto response. But last year I stopped too, after I read some old stuff about why we even say it. Idk, once you see it, it feels kinda silly to keep doing it. The first few times I stayed quiet, it felt really awkward, like I was being rude on purpose. But after a while, that feeling goes away and you just hear other people say it. It makes you notice all the other little scripts we follow without question.
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angela_baker29d ago
Have you considered that staying quiet might be the kinder move sometimes? If someone is hacking up a lung with a cold, calling out each sneeze just rubs it in. It keeps all the attention on their misery. Letting it slide avoids making a big deal out of it. They might appreciate not having every sneeze highlighted. Then you can actually be useful, like passing them the tissue box instead of just repeating empty words.
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