I used to never get allergies before I moved to the city.
I used to walk through the trees and grab the pods hanging from the limbs and brush out the pollen between my fingers. I used to pick the dandelions one by one and blow the seeds to the wind and watch where they land. I used to roll in the grass and put my face to the ground and watch the small things in the earth move, and wave, and felt I was a part of that.
Now, however,
I have to shove a plastic nozzle up my nose and spray medicine into my bloodstream. And on the walk to the train I drop it and it falls on the sidewalk. And I am disgusted because I think of every rat and roach that has walked over that square inch of city street. And either that enters me or I am miserable the rest of the day.
And I miss when I didn't have to make that choice to breathe.