Responding to sneezes

The most common response is “bless you,” but I’ve heard other responses too. There’s this weird German or Dutch sounding thing I’ve heard people say when people sneeze. I’m not even going to attempt spelling it.

Why do you need to respond to my sneeze? It’s just a bodily function. I’d rather you pretend it never happened…just like if I farted. Do you bless me when I fart? Cough? Why can’t I just sneeze and get on with my life? It’s even worse when someone blesses me and then expects me to thank them for the “blessing.”

sneeze

“Bless you!”

“Thank you.”

That was a ten second interaction that could have just been two seconds (the sneeze itself). Seriously, I’ve had someone get upset that I didn’t thank her for blessing me. It’s ridiculous.

Following rules that dead people made up 1,000 years ago is silly.