Happy New Year!

A belated happy new year to all!

Things have been pretty hectic these last few days. I went to our Formation Conference last weekend, returned late on New Year's Eve, and then taught music on both Monday and Tuesday. Today I am going to finish a book about Theresa of Avila and then begin a book on Catholics and American Culture by Mark Massa, SJ.

I had a touch of a cold last week with all of the obligatory symptoms: sore throat, runny nose, headache, swollen feet (oops, that's my Grandma Hagan's big complaint, not mine). Can you explain to me why, then, one pill can't cover all of the symptoms? The available medications are fabulous: Tylenol Cold-and-teeth-whitener-plus-scrubbing bubbles-and-wood refinisher is a great product, so long as in addition to household chores it accomplishes something small, like turning my drippy nose off! I mean, some of these pills will do your homework for you, put you to sleep, dry your nose, but still leave you with an awful headache, while others will treat the head and nose and leave your throat terribly sore.

Yep, I am a big baby. But it just seems strange that we have pills that can do everything (it seems) except treat the symptoms most common to a cold.

It's the same thing with toothpaste. I hate buying toothpaste and shampoo (which, thanks to my baldness, I have to do less and less frequently). But toothpaste? How in God's name am I to know what to buy? I drink enough tea so I need teeth-whitening, but which brand? Which type of effervescent action do I need - baking soda, hydrogen peroxide, a mix of the two? Although I fancy myself fairly tough-skinned, do I have sensitive teeth? Do I need a breath freshening strip of minty flavor or do I just want a tube of regular monochrome paste? Is a pea-sized amount really all I need, or do I need to cover all of the bristles? And can somebody explain how it is that I am supposed to roll up the tube from the end because whenever I do it it looks like the end of a gift ribbon and I'm sure there's still valuable toothpaste residing in its circuitous folds! Why do I feel like choosing a toothpaste is invested with the same importance as choosing the course of treatment for cancer?

Probably because I am neurotic.

While I own that it is often good to write on spiritual topics, I just want my readers to know that I face the same trials that you do: I, too, obsess over toothpaste and over the counter medicines and flavors of coffee. I am in solidarity with the common person! I am one of the people! I could be a contender!

A silly mood begets a silly post. I'm off now to get lunch. I'm thinking Chinese food, although have you seen the choices? How does one know the difference between.......

Happy New Year!