Springtime brings about the best of times for most of us except for the dastardly pollen.  My head hurt just by typing that word.  My eyes teared up and I experienced a brief, but burdensome cough.

While I am never overconfident that I can get through the spring without a sinus infection that has me wheezing and coughing for hours on end, I have found a pill that seems to work.

Medicine can be as fickle as a high school superstar on the take.  The pill that works for you may not work for me and vice versa.  However, I keep a small bottle of “Banophen” in my shaving kit and one in my briefcase year-round.  I never leave home without it.

When an infection becomes entrenched, I have learned that nothing seems to work.  You simply must grin and bear it for a couple of weeks and then some.  I have often felt that my sinuses would clog up in the spring in the Sahara desert.

While you are choked up and suffering, you look out your window at the azaleas and the dogwood in full bloom.  How reassuring that makes you feel. You are uplifted and energized when nature blesses you and curses you at the same time.

Pollen is violently depressing which is why a refreshing rain shower when pollen peaks is one of the high moments of springtime.  Pollen is as rude as a drunken sailor.  It collects on your car, your back porch, your side porch furniture, your leftover firewood and your pinot noir if you leave a glass of that redeeming nectar on the patio wall.

While pollen is necessary in the plant world and is critical to nature’s fertilization and perpetuation. When it has me down an out, I feel like the kid in school who was asked by his teacher what killed off the dinosaurs.  He responded, “I don’t know.  I just hope it is permanent.”  When pollen has you under its spell, you would trade a clear head for all the azaleas and dogwoods on the planet.

With the Masters coming up next week, I worry about that Garden of Eden becoming an outdoor house of pain for those of us who become stuffed up with the ill effects of pollen.

Sometimes nature gives me a free pass with regard to pollen issues, but there are other times when I suffer dreadfully, even when the sights and sounds of the greatest of golf tournaments bring about treasured moments of Sunday afternoon glory—with one of those pulsating finishes taking place.   The Masters setting and the rewards from an under-par round amid the spectacular flora and resonating history of the tournament does not cure or stop sinus infections, but it is a welcomed distraction.

The springtime is a reminder of how much we appreciate the opportunity to get outside and dig in the soil which so many enjoy.  The sports scene is welcomed in springtime.  Golfers, with daylight savings time, can get in a full day at the office and also a round of golf before suppertime.

If you include spring training, one of the delightful experiences in sport, baseball lasts for at least eight months.  The World Series in October is the highlight, but the game is at its best during the spring.  The crack of the bat which inspires fans across the county is never more refreshing and fulfilling than in the spring.

Spring planting, even if you don’t have a green thumb, brings about the greatest of anticipation.  The planting season will segue into street markets in summer.   Of all the fun experiences there is during the course of the calendar year, there is unmatched joy in browsing through a farmers’ market and selecting fruits and vegetables for an enriching meal.