As of late, whenever I suffer from a running nose, I remember my father’s last days. Well, years. He was unaware of the drops at the tip of his nose. Before the plunge, each drop would sparkle ever more limpid, ever more plump. I would watch their progress with ever less alarm, though. Perhaps this is what noses are for—to take drops away from the mouth. This hypothesis will come handy in a few years. Well, decades.

Addendum (November 12, 2013)

Ten years later, my nose is running like crazy. Although I have not yet noticed drops forming at the tip of my nose, several drops occasionally come out in quick succession. My sinuses have been clogged up for quite some time, and my nose sometimes starts dripping when I lean forward. More often than not, I become aware of the dripping a few second too late. Annoyed as I get whenever this happens, I am not yet able to predict the next attack in time to prevent it. At any rate, not a single drop has yet ended up in my mouth. Perhaps noses are indeed for taking the drops away from the mouth. Greetings, father!