Falling

My favorite time to be in Austin and the Texas Hill Country is between March and April when the bluebonnets and other wildflowers cover the sweeping fields and even manage to make I-35 look like a beautiful sea of blue. However, when the first cold front hits after months of heat, I fall in love with fall.

It's a short-lived affair. One to two days in, allergies betray my trust and a lover's quarrel between congestion and runny-nose-like-a-drippy-faucet ensues. This year I was extremely desperate and bought a Neti Pot after hearing my co-workers rave about the miraculous effects it brings.

This is a Neti-Pot:



And I love it.

According to the Himalayan Institute website, the Neti Pot "naturally cleanses, refreshes, and protects the nasal passages, one of our body's first lines of defense against illness. Recommended today by doctors and pharmacists worldwide, the Neti Pot has been used for thousands of years in Ayurvedic medicine to alleviate sinus and allergy problems."

Just like love, the first time is the worst. Imagine shoving the spout up your nose and pouring a warm saline solution up one nostril, breathing through your mouth, overcoming the sensation of drowning in a pool, and feeling a mixture of mucus, water, and salt come out the other side. But once you get past that moment of panic, you're in the clear.

I neti-pot in the morning and I'm considering adding a second night-time neti to my regimen. I recommend doing it behind closed doors. In my experience, inviting a loved one to witness the neti-potting elicits weird looks and awkward excuses. (Like trimming your nose hair in the car with an electric trimmer is a socially appropriate act.)

In short, I am once again in love with fall - tailgates, pumpkins and squash at the farmers market, breezy walks on the greenbelt and Townlake - thanks to a little ceramic pot I call My Neti.