Everyone on the Subway Stared in Shock at the Sneeze

When I was traveling down to New York on Sunday, a man on the subway suddenly sneezed–he yelled in a high-pitched wail as he did so–so loud that the entire car looked over at him with shock. It was funny, such a loud noise popping out of someone all of a sudden, and at the next stop he left with a red face. Most of the people on the No. 1 train downtown had just run the New York City marathon, one guy had a medal around his neck, and others wore sponsor-issued ponchos and held bags of runner’s swag.

Sneezing has become the new faux pas, as we enter an early flu season with lurid tales of Swine flu deaths and schools closed due to so many cases. I was chastised by a fellow travel webmaster when I coughed uncovered in a meeting; now I am careful to use my elbow and worry about leaking out germs even with this precaution.

I’ve spent the past few weeks in a house with tiny sick kids, and I’m sure I’ve shared way too many germs traveling in airplanes, buses and subways. Last night I bundled up with a thick sweatshirt and sweatpants to ward off chills; I feared for the worst today but so far…not that bad. I hope to avoid the worst of it all and am on the hunt for a flu shot to keep the really bad stuff at bay.