Germ Free

So…I’m in WalMart yesterday after school and an older gentleman starts pushing his cart next to time.

“Did you just come in?” he asks.

“Yes.”

“Did you get your anti-pig flu wipe?”

“Uh…no. I teach kindergarten- I don’t worry about being germ-free.”

“Well, you could be at WalMart. Did you know they have these?” He holds up the wipe still clutched in his hand.

“Yes.”

“Oh. I thought maybe I was telling you something new. Okay. Kindergarten, huh. Okay.” And off he goes to inform someone else.

I thought about our encounter as I made my way through the store. Are there really folks out there who think wiping their cart with anti-bacterial gel is going to protect them from the germs in WalMart?? Do they not realize that everything in the store has been touched by human hands? Do they think the boxes and bags and cartons jumped onto the shelves? Do they not give any thought to where the money they receive as change has spent its previous days? Or what is on the card reader? If you really wanted to be “germ-free” I would think you’d have to wear gloves and a mask and wipe down everything you bought and put your change in a zip-lock bag until you could take it home and sterilize it. Then someone would want to make a movie about that strange lady at WalMart…

I’m fine with the gentleman and his wipe, especially if it helps him feel better. I use anti-bacterial gel in my classroom and I try to wash my hands as often as possible. However, I’m not going to start worrying about being germ-free. Some of those germs are here to protect us from other germs- bigger, scarier germs. Some germs are just inevitable. Besides, my brain has a rather small “worry section” and it’s full.

 

Comments

[Megan]

You probably have an amazing immune system by now, having been exposed to everything a kindergarden class can throw at you.

Newfangled technology (wipes, gels and sprays) can make one feel a little less vulnerable to illness, but I'm with you on not getting hyped up about germs. We banish as many as possible through gels, sprays and wipes and wash our hands first thing upon entering our home, but beyond that, there's not much one can do.

Here's wishing all of us NO swine flu.