Bless You!

I don't know if this is just me or not, but have you noticed a pronounced decline in the frequency of 'bless you's in response to sneezing? I started noticing about a week ago, probably because my allergies were really bad. No one in my office said bless you. Once. And it wasn't just with me. The more I paid attention, the more I realized that no one was saying bless you to anyone.

Except me. I say bless you all the time. Even if someone is a multiple sneezer. Why? Because it's polite. I think it's a nice gesture. Not only are you acknowledging their existence, but you're throwing a free blessing their way. What's not to like?

What's extra strange is that the people I bless never return the favour. Despite their pleased expression of surprise and delight whenever I bless them, when I sneeze they don't reciprocate.They remain completely silent. At first, I was just mildly put off. But it's become rather creepy. No one but myself says it. I feel like I'm in some kind of body snatcher movie, where the only sign that someone's been taken is their inability to say 'bless you' when someone sneezes. Did I miss a meeting? Did every come to a general consensus that 'bless you' was outdated or no longer necessary? If so, I didn't get the memo.