The Virtue of Handerkerchiefs

For years, I wanted to use handkerchiefs, but worried that they wouldn't work as well as kleenex or toilet paper for blowing my nose.

I loved the idea of them. They harkened to a time when everything was reusable and thus, time was taken to make them pretty or interesting.

In Antique stores, I admired them, but got caught up in the idea of someone else's snot.

I even bought some new ones, but they just sat in my cabinet for several years until my brain took over and said, 'Just use a handkerchief! Get it over with!"

So, I bought a selection of pretty handkerchiefs at an Antique store and washed them in HOT water.

I'll admit I was nervous the first time I blew my nose on a handkerchief. But once I did, I was hooked!

* No more fingers popping through the tissue when I had an especially wet blow.

* No more tissue melting away as I blew my nose in the rain or snow.

* No more lack of tissue in my bag because I'd already used the one I had and threw it away.

* And best of all, no more used tissues lying around my house, then making their way to a landfill.

My love for the handkerchief goes beyond practicality, they link me to the past.

Almost all my handkerchiefs belonged to someone else before me. Through my nose blowing, I feel supported by their past owners. Okay, sounds icky...but it's actually lovely.

One of my handkerchiefs belonged to my partner Bill's grandfather. Every time I go for a hike, I think of him as I put his large handkerchief in my pocket. I know it will last me the entire day, and if I break an arm, it can double as a sling.

In response to anyone who thinks handkerchiefs are germ carriers, I did some research on the Internet. It turns out they are not. Cloth handkerchiefs dry out very fast and germs need wet to live. Also, you use a fresh handkerchief each day.

And an interesting fact: When it's cold, handkerchiefs are gentler on the nose than tissues which will scratch.

Ahhhhh handkerchiefs! I love you!