Neti Pot

There are many reasons winter is not my favorite season: the cold & flu passing around is just one of them. I caught the cold that has been going around our house so I've been looking for remedies that are safe to take and do while breastfeeding. Naturally, being brought up by two hippie parents, I turned to herbs and all things non-chemical-like. One such remedy is a neti pot. This little genie lamp looking pot is a curious little contraption that you pour into one nostril, tilt your head, and wait for the saline solution to come dribbling out of your other nostril. Sound odd? It is. Never would I have imagined myself trying this, but seeing as I've been doing a lot of new things lately (becoming a mother, giving birth, surviving on less sleep), I figured, why not?

I was not quite this enthused.

I turned to Youtube to watch some how-to videos, sterilized some water, and poured the solution into my right nostril as instructed by Youtube and the neti pot instructions. I'll tell you, it wasn't exactly comfortable. In fact, I chickened out a few times before I allowed the solution to go through my entire nasal canal. There was a moment when I was going to give up altogether - why try it if it's going to be uncomfortable? But then I thought, if I don't give it an honest try, I'll never know if it was worth it. And so I did. I breathed through my mouth, tilted my head again, and let the solution flow all the way through. It was a bizarre feeling, but it worked! After I was done doing both sides, I could breathe. It didn't cure my cold and I still got stuffy again a bit later, but it did the job it promised it would do - temporarily relieve my symptoms.

Sometimes (ok, most of the time) it's easy for me to be stuck in the why make myself uncomfortable moment instead of seeing the bigger picture. Instead of pressing forward through the not-so-comfortable part to reach the reward on the other end. Most things in my life that bring me joy have come out of enduring discomfort, even pain. Marrying Phil followed an eight year long distance relationship. Having Judah followed losing our first child and trying longer than anticipated to get pregnant again. God has been reminding me that he sees the bigger picture. When I'm stuck in the here and now and the why God? he is looking at what will come out of the discomfort.

When I'm sick with a sinus headache, stuffy nose and the inability to get a good night's rest, I wallow in I've never felt so crappy. But, this too shall pass. I will be healthy again. I will feel better and I will look back on this cold as a blip in the span of my life, if I even remember it all.

Being in a place of discomfort sucks. There's no other way to put it. But, looking back at all of the discomfort I had to endure to get where I am today, I wouldn't change a thing. I wouldn't have married my best friend if I had given up on our long distance relationship. I wouldn't have Judah had I gotten pregnant sooner rather than later. And, I wouldn't have had a clear sinus had I given up on the little neti pot. Don't dismiss something that's uncomfortable or give up if you're in a time of pain and discomfort; something beautiful is waiting for you on the other side.