Mindless Moments

Last night, just before bedtime, I determined that my nose could use an application of Rhinaris since it's been getting dry and stuffy these past few nights. Unfortunately, a tube of Preparation H was lying just beside the container of my desire. The two tubes were approximately the same size and color, which is probably an unimportant detail since I indiscriminately reached and applied and would probably have grabbed the inappropriate one even if it had been large and purple and the other tiny and yellow.

...

This reminds me of a similar thoughtless grab many years earlier. Many many years earlier: in our second year of marriage in fact.

We had a budgie named Flubber who enjoyed a time of flying freedom every evening. One of his favourite perches was the cup in the bathroom. Flubber would sit on the rim and look in the mirror and jabber away at himself to his heart's content. As is a bird's habit, he dropped his ... er, droppings ... frequently. It was a good situation for all, as his offerings fell harmlessly into the glass that was set aside specifically for this purpose. Meanwhile, Cuppa and I used disposable paper cups. It was a satisfactory situation for both avian and Homo sapiens.

Until one night when I mindlessly reached for the bird's glass upon needing to rinse after brushing. I was okay for a second or two ... until I noticed the lumps.

...

Back to the present ... I have heard it said that our noses and ears don't stop growing as we age.

This morning, however, I noticed that my nose had actually shrunk. Why would that be? I wonder.