Spring MeltOne thing about writing is there is always something to write about. Today it's logy and then Loki. Logy, because that's how I briefly felt after getting off the bathroom scale, heavy and dull. And Loki because of looking up logy in the dictionary and seeing the Norse god of discord and mischief in the same vicinity.
Our driveway culvert
But enough about le mot juste. Today reminds me of DOD, Tommy's father in law, who used to self combust when anyone said Daylight Savings instead of Daylight Saving. He would be sitting in the rocking chair on the porch, having his whisky, and there would be this incendiary explosion from the chair if someone said it wrong. Some unnamed people would purposely provoke him just to see the flames. Loki.
Hmm. Kind of like an unnamed person continuing to say "bless you" after a sneeze when they have been told that the sneezer does not require or want any blessings and save their breath for someone who gave a flying **** about such superstitious nonsense. Could Loki also be a goddess?
ReplyDeleteThere are several proposed origins for the use "Bless you" in the context of sneezing:
* Various alleged but conflicting superstitions relating the sneeze to evil spirits. This includes beliefs that a sneeze could release one's soul, thus leading to its possible capture by lurking evil spirits, or that the evil spirits could enter the body through the open mouth of a sneezing individual, or that the individual is sneezing out sins or evil spirits which had taken residence within the body and is thus in need of the blessing to prevent the exorcised spirits from re-entering the body. Some proponents of this last theory have further suggested that it was bad luck to open the mouth again to thank the person who uttered "Bless you" for fear of circumventing the original purpose of the blessing.
* Some say it came into use during the black death pandemics of the 14th century. Blessing the individual after showing such a symptom was thought to prevent possible impending death due to the lethal disease.
In Hindi,one says हरी ॐ "'Hari Om'", but only to those who gave a flying ****.