Allergy Season

an essay in which I wonder if I can be part of nature when nature is attacking my sinuses

Today I woke up stuffy, head pounding, eyes watering and itchy. Last week, I spent an hour walking through the cherry trees blossoming in downtown Portland. The city has been getting greener every day, animals seeming more active than I remember as they come out of hiding and sing or scamper or flutter to find mates. Everything is in bloom.

It’s all one …