The Stomach For It

I am fairly easily nauseated by the sights and smells of, shall we say, basic bodily functions. I don’t want to be, as this tendency makes traveling especially stressful, not to mention the sight of a toddler with a runny nose at a restaurant. Green at the gills go I, and not only do I lose my appetite, I want to leave the premises immediately. During one memorable clergy luncheon at a local cafe, however, outrage completely overrode my churning stomach as I watched a little boy — who had clearly been ill and whining for his mother’s attention (which she did not grant, being too involved with her conversation with a friend who seemed more concerned about the kid than she did) — vomit all over himself and the floor. Mother, now irritated, picked up a wad of paper napkins and swabbed half-heartedly at […]