Saturday, November 29, 2008

A mouth is worth a thousand expressions

I have come to the conclusion that the mouth is essential in demonstrating affection.

And I'm not just talking about smooching and snogging. The mouth truly is an incredible team player  - it indicates an uplifted mood more than any other body part. Try having "happy eyes" without smiling. You can't do it. (I guesstimate that 87% of you actually tried it.) Frustration, sadness, fatigue and anger can all be indicated with merely your eyes; girls can have whole conversations with them. But the MOUTH is the key ingredient to professing contentment and joy in general. 

I know what I'm talking about it. Mine recently became ill. 

Cold sores, people. COLD. SORES. (I was going to post a picture of my hideousness, but decided that wouldn't help my statcounter go up.) 

I have two massive scabby secretions smack dab in the middle of my lower lip. I feel like I might as well have a balloon there. One of those big shiny helium numbers with, "Hi! I'm contaminated!" printed on it. I'm a plague. 

It is hard to look people in the eye. Not because I feel dirty (though that definitely plays a role), but because I can't smile. I walk around looking either stoned or pissed off. When greeting someone these past few days, I immediately apologize for my apparent lack of interest, pointing to my cold sore self-deprecatingly. But I can't giggle about it. I can't give an apologetic grin. I have to sort of purse my lips and convey "happy eyes! happy eyes!" as much as possible. It usually doesn't go over that well. I think they are aptly named 'cold sores' because they transform you into an unsmiling piece of ice.

The very essence of my daily routine has been sapped dry. Playing Good Guys/Bad Guys with the kids today, I was always cast as the bad guy. Who's ever heard of a plucky hero with a permanent scowl on his face? After dinner the fam had a round of the game "Taboo." It was impossible to show the proper amount of enthusiasm when every time the corner of my lips started to turn up, I was awarded a shooting, burning sensation in the labial area.

In addition to becoming a social pariah, the biggest hardship of all is not being able to kiss my kids. I think I must kiss Da Boyz exactly 89756423186 times a day, since that is how many times I've had to stop myself. I can't nuzzle the inside of Mr. Squishy's neck. I can't plant a big wet one on the top of Little Prince's head when I'm tucking him in for the night. I can't bestow a Magical Mommy Kiss on Ouro Branco's most recent bonk on the head. Maybe it's just as well My Man isn't here, because I would not be able to restrain myself from attacking him, and then he would have to suffer as well.

Abreva! Work faster, I implore you!

18 comments:

Katrina said...

I hate cold sores! Fortunately I've only had a few in my life, but man, do they suck.

To answer your questions: I have a Nikon D90. And my brother served in the Goiania mission.

Heather of the EO said...

I implore YOU,
HOW does a person write THIS eloquently even about COLD SORES???

Seriously. I'm sorry. I HATE the suckers. They're MEAN.

Whitney R said...

I feel the same way! But I have a huge red zit on my forehead that can't be hid by my bangs. It's like a beam of bright light coming from that one spot. I feel like no one is looking me in the eyes... nope, they look up at the ZIT!

I completely empathize. (I had another zit on the bottom of my bottom lip at the first of this semester.... felt the same.. and I still have a scar - it was a bad one)


(my word verification is awflu... like awful. haha)

Randi said...

Cold Sores are the plague of my life. I have begged and prayed and cried them away at various times, but mostly I just have to live with them.
I'm so so sorry!

The Butler Family said...

I'm suffering from cold sores right now, too. You completely captured my thoughts on the matter. Ugh... Hopefully we'll be smiling and kissing those little heads again very soon!

Erin said...

Very luckily, we aren't alike in this manner...I have never had a cold sore. But besides this, I swear we are the same person.

Oh, and I tried to e-mail you a response, but you don't have an e-mail address attached to your blog! So I will just put what I wrote on your comment page:

Okay, were we separated at birth???

I think that's awesome, by the way. I wish we could visit while you were in the States. I live too far away though, I'm afraid.

Enjoy your socks!

Kristina P. said...

I'm like Erin. I have never had a cold sore in my life. But, I have had canker sores, and lots of zits, so I can sort of relate.

Aquaspce said...

I haven't had a cold sore either, but my teeth disintegrate and fall apart if it's any consolation. My two very front ones, are HORRIBLE right now, I have to go get them fixed. That's why I don't smile with my mouth open - well, that, and it makes me look fat.

J. Baxter said...

I hate your cold sores for you. My hubby gets them, and I do always feel very bad for him. One time he got SEVEN all at the same time.

I felt so bad for him. (And I worried that his lips were going to fall off. Seriously.) So thankful I don't get them!

Oh, and I love you too:) (And I'm not just saying that. I've totally been going to put you on my sidebar, but now I can't for a few days or you'll think it was just because you said you loved me, when really it would have been because I always love your blog, and if I haven't been here for awhile I have to read down and catch up. Maybe I'll do it anyway, now that I put it like that...)

Stephanie said...

It's a good thing you don't have cold sores AND pink eye, then you'd be an expressionless shell of a woman. :)

Watch out kids, when mom gets better, you're getting a kiss attack.

Shauna said...

I get cold sores and OUCH!!!! ♥ Hugs!

Pezlady Jana said...

I hate cold sores too. My daughter gets them all the time and it is so hard to tell her not to touch stuff with her mouth (weird, I know, but she is 10), and keep her hands away from it too. Crazy. Hope it gets better and goes away soon. :]

Brooke said...

I don't get it. Erin is my sister and I have had SO MANY cold sores in my life. In fact, I just had one three weeks ago that lasted two weeks! YUCK. I am so sorry. I can totally empathize.

Harmony said...

Um... confession. When I saw you Tuesday I had a cold sore. It was itty-bitty. But maybe I gave it to you. Yep. Too bad I'm 1,500 miles away so you can't retaliate! Anyway, here's a trick for you. It works like a CHARM: (

I get cold sores a LOT and this is the easiest remedy)

The first morning you feel it, take 4 Lysine pills (it might be called L-lysine, or just Lysine, either will do). Then take 2 at lunch, and one at dinner. Then every day after that take one in the morning and one at night until your sore is gone. The sore will literally STOP growing (at least, it does for me) and it heals right away! So... don't forget to buy some Lysine before you leave the States, or I'm giving you some for Chrsitmas.

It works!

Floyd said...

I get those when i eat Mangoes... Is it mango season in Brazil??

Richard and Stephanie said...

Oh Becky!!! I hear you, girl! You should have seen my bottom lip when Eliza (aka "The fruit of your labors") was born. All the pictures from our first week home are under lock and key because of the absolute HIDEOUSNESS that is my face! It's like my entire lip ERRUPTED! I had cold sores on top of my cold sores. It was the worst thing I had ever seen. Trust me, I completely empathize!

Rocketgirl said...

What a fabulous way you have of describing something we've all experienced but couldn't put into words in a way that the person listening wouldn't go "ewww shutup!
Nice!

Vanessa said...

Funny you should write about this! I just got my first cold sore ever, yesterday! HOLY COW! I feel like i have a big tumor that everyone is staring at on my lip. They say its not noticeable when I draw attention to it, but I know they are lying.

I'm on may way to get that Abreva, sounds like its not the immediate cure all:)

Cute blog!