Don’t Touch!

Knowing how infection spreads makes me (and those around me) miserable sometimes. Questions and uncontrolled reactions for fear of people close to me getting infection bring misery to the same people I’m concerned about.

I mean how many times do I wash my hands when I was a kid? When did I avoid getting dirty feet (and dirty everything else) when I was a child? Swimming in a dirty pond, eating street fishballs, bathing in the rain and right under the roof drainage, sliding down a pile of sand to be used for construction, eating street fishballs (again?), digging for earthworms (oh maybe it was my neighbor), collecting and connecting multicolored used (!) straws for play; it was fun then!

Now, just the thought of forgetting my hand sanitizer brings dread. What more loved ones failing to observe safety hygiene precautions when in public places- touching, inhaling; and forgetting aseptic technique 😁 before eating or touching their nose, eyes, face (me!). No five-second rule! I try to protect them. But I make them miserable.

They say allergic diseases are now rampant due to extreme hygienic processes. What’s exposure to some infectious agents if they can eventually accord immunity. “Look at the kids in the streets!,” they say. I don’t know. It’s hard to be a doctor. I just know how infection is spread and acquired. Do not touch! Do not hold! Do not breathe? Hmmm..

And this is just for infectious agents. How about toxic agents in the environment outside and inside the house? Air pollution, chemical agents. Do not go out. Do not stay in. Might as well be spirit. 😁

So, what’s the solution for this oppressing knowledge of mine??? Talk to myself! Ninang, instruct gently and don’t get angry. Everything in moderation. Avoid but don’t obsess. Instruct gently (again!). Our knowledge is imperfect. There are also good things we don’t know. Wisdom guides. Control is an illusion. Trust in God. Enjoy the company of loved ones no matter where, what, and how. With or without possibility of infection.

-Ninang hygienic thoughts

“God is our refuge and strength,
a very present help in trouble.” (Psalms 46:1)