Do you know what I really really REALLY hate?

Mucous. Like really really.

We all have that one thing that turns our stomach right? For me it’s mucous. Closely followed by people chewing gum in my hearing (can’t stand that smacking noise). I used to hate pubes on soap too. Seem to have gotten over that one. Maybe because no one has pubes anymore…

Anyhoo having babies was HARD for me and Steve had to deal with a lot of the unfortunate situations that arise before your little mites can deal with it themselves. Request: do not bring your child near me if they have a runny nose, please!

But living in Asia and having spent years travelling this majestic region, I’ve had to confront this demon.  The sniffing, snorting, clearing of throats, and the oh-so-lovely hurling up of a dockyard-oyster anywhere you like. Ugh! The worst was my adventures backpacking in China in 1995. I wore white pants once (yeah, I know, who backpacks with white pants? I learnt that lesson) only to come back to the hostel in the evening to see that my thongs (flip flops) had been flicking slag up the back of my pants all day long. Revolting!

Nothing could prepare me for the mucous experience I had this week though. As part of Jax’s post-op care, I took him back to the surgeon for a final check-up. Steve did the previous appointment and did not warn me – he knew better.

So we’re all set to go and they get out this contraption with a long steel tube. It goes straight up Jax’s nose and OH MY GOD!! There was copious amounts of stuff coming out and I could see it all through a clear tube. Stomach heave!

But I couldn’t run away. This was a rather unpleasant experience for the Jaxster too, and I had to stay there to try and keep him calm, all the while dealing with bile in my mouth and a roiling stomach that wanted to unleash a torrent.

Let’s not forget the ladies doing this procedure – every single day. I mean it’s part of their job. I JUST CAN NOT IMAGINE A WORSE JOB!

Let’s be honest here, you’ve got to face some rather unfortunate – and all too human - aspects of life when you become a parent, but I seriously believe I have found my threshold. No way. Never again. Steve you are doing it!

To cap that lovely experience off, the next morning I had a coffee meeting and we were sitting on a street in a cool part of town. Three people walked past and in line of sight cleared their nose on the street. THREE! Just blew it out there. Not to mention sitting right next to me was another guy who sniffed his way through his coffee.

Ahhhhhhhhhh! I hate it.

What’s your one thing?

Yours, without the bollocks

Andrea