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Cough In The Commonplace

Decent Essays

Almost every commonplace scenario has a polite phrase that goes alongside it. When someone sneezes, a scattered symphony of “bless you’s” follows soon afterward. When you receive a gift of kindness, it is appropriate to respond with a “thank you”. When accepting another’s gratitude, it is typical to say, “You’re welcome”. But what do you say when someone coughs? By normal people’s standards, the answer to that question is nothing at all. After a person coughs, not a single word is uttered, leaving an empty silence which desires to be filled with something. A while back in middle school, it was this palpable feeling of emptiness which drove me to ponder the nature of this situation. How could there be no phrase to respond to a cough? I

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