Germs

I do not suffer from germaphobia. I do shake hands with people and touch many things in the course of any one day when I step outside—gas pumps, elevator buttons, door handles, staircase railings, etc. However new technology has made me aware that the number of surfaces we need to touch keeps growing.

            My grandson was using his phone as we sat outside on a sunny day, and an array of points where his fingers had touched the screen were very visible. When I suggested that he might want to clean the screen he made the point that since he was the only one using his phone the marks I saw were simply his body oil. That made sense, but what about other tactile screens?

            As I was waiting in line at the ATM a short time later I began wondering how many fingers had touched that screen since it was last cleaned. Then it dawned on me that it probably had never been cleaned and would probably never be. Wow! Perhaps there’ll come a time when a person won’t be able to connect properly to the ATM because of the thickness of the fingerprints. That made me aware that I need to carry a small bottle of hand sanitizer whenever I plan to stop at the cash machine. Also a necessity in this age of self-serve cashiers at grocery stores and pharmacies.

            Talking of cash, I read an article not too long ago that pointed out that paper money is the dirtiest thing we encounter. I can see why. Bills are constantly changing hands and those hands are not always the cleanest they could be. It is believed that, in addition to being touched by fingers that have touched things we don’t want to know about, most cash has some residue of illicit drugs on its surface. Wow! And washing it is out of the question, I suppose.

            I grew up on a farm so dirt and mud and animals and hay were very much part of life. But we did have to wash our hands before eating. My mother made sure of that. However I believe farm life has helped my family be immune to allergies that affect many who grow up in mostly germ-free environments. Dirt is good as the saying goes. Case in point the Amish people have very low asthma rates because they’re exposed to barnyard dust. And today some care professionals are talking of boosting the immune systems of kids by exposing them to dirt microbes. My parents would simply say: Just let them play outside and get dirty.

I am convinced that a little dirt is good for everyone, however I draw the line at touching countless screens touched by countless fingers so cleaning my hands is a must more often than it used to be. I don’t see the need to be in contact with an excess amount of germs. Perhaps that’s the reason I punch the automatic door-opening button set up for wheelchairs when I go to the bank, the mall, or other buildings. Ever since I was following a fellow into the bank who coughed his germs onto the door handle I see not touching those as insurance against colds. 

            Especially now that the cold and flu season is silently and boldly pushing itself forward before I can get my flu shot.