The allergy culprits

Inspired by the new chapter syndrome of the coming new year and my long bout of allergic rhinitis and cough, I decided to clean out my side of the room. I have unwittingly amassed dust and dust balls with stuff that I had the forgotten intention of dealing with at a "more appropriate time".

All these weeks I was blaming the weather and pollution for my sneezing, headaches, nasal congestion, and cough, when here, next to where I sleep -- within breathing distance at my most vulnerable resting and stressed hours -- lay what could be the culprits:  dust-gatherers by my bedside!

1. My beloved books.  Three piles of them and around five right by the bed -- the "active" ones.
2. 3 containers of hand lotion and my ever-dependable Badger Winter Wonder Balm
3. Bookmarkers (they fell out and out of sight when I would fall asleep while reading), slips of photos and reading material
4. Cables and wires -- chargers, extension cords, USB transfer cables...
5. Two teeny (but powerful!) reading lamps... er, lights.  When one fails, use the other, right?
6. Prayer books and my journal.

Clearly, these show what I want or need or intend to do, within reach before I sleep or right when I wake up: 

• moisturize
• make sure I breathe well
• read
• turn the light on or off
• check my mobile phone 
• reflect and pray. 

Either I change my habits or find a way to continue without killing myself.  So, with a little more inspiration from Rent's soundtrack...

my morning dose of anti-histamines and nasal sprays...

 

I started clearing out and cleaning up my bedside area.  Seriously.  So serious, I announced it on twitter and Facebook.  As my friends and followers are my witnesses!

Top 5 things I discovered:

1. Two of my favorite books are missing!
2. So much dust! 
3. Why do I bother keeping so many documents and flyers? I never get to read or file them, anyway.
4. I don't use lotion on my hands at bedtime.  Why do I have 3 bottles of them?
5. I seriously need a book case and a fab reading lamp. I think they are proven necessities.

One of my two reading lights, called, "A Really Tiny Book Light" because it IS tiny.

I'm only halfway done with just 24 hours left till 2011 comes, but it's bedtime, and the neighbors might not like all the vacuuming noise I'm making.  I still have my desk (also near the bed) and closet to clean out, so I'll do what I can quietly.  For now, I resolve to:

• Buy a book case. I love my books, but they are just gathering dust. Uh-oh, there goes the money I was saving for a ticket to Singapore.
• Buy a fab lamp.  I already saw one.
• Apply lotion  -- only one kind -- on my hands and feet before sleeping, when skin replenishment and repair are said to be most effective (explaining why I had them there in the first place)
• Always have Badger Winter Wonder Balm on my bedside table. Emergency and assured relief when I couldn't breathe well at night.
• Use my journal or store it.
• Position a procrastination bin near my desk, not the bed, where I can just drop stuff for filing later.
• Clean more often.

To the next area, rag and vacuum cleaner held high... charge!