Germophobe Survival Kit

Those who know me well know that I'm a germophobe.  I hate germs.  They freak me out and I go to great lengths to avoid them.  I wash my hands frequently (obsessively?); I wipe off silverware in restaurants;  I even sanitize my hands after touching menus; I don't touch door handles in public (use my shirt if needed).  You get the idea.  Imagine my distress at now being a source of germs.  I've been sick for 10 days.  This is unusual for me.  I rarely get sick.  I'm on my 8th day of antibiotics and was hoping by this time I would be back to 100%.  Not so.  I'm much better than I was, but I'm still pretty congested. 

I felt so horrendous last week, I kept recalling a couple sayings that the father of a Nun I used to work with would say about being sick:

"At first I was afraid I was going to die, and then I was afraid I wasn't."

"I had one foot in the grave and the other on a banana peel."

The "Sunshine Committee" at the office where I work has acknowledged flu season is upon us.  They put baggies in everyones mailbox with a note about each person doing their part to stay healthy.  In the baggie was hand sanitizer, a travel size pack of tissues, and lip balm.  I told my friend at work, Kori- who is on the Sunshine Committee, that I kind of took the "gift" personally!  I made the same comment to Nancy (mentioned in a previous post.)

Later that day, an envelope appeared in my mailbox.  In it was an OSHA mask that had big old red lips drawn on it.  There was also a pair of latex gloves.  I immediately put the mask and gloves on, which made everyone in the office who saw me laugh.  Hey, I'm a good sport and I can definitely laugh at myself.  I even posed for a picture in my office.

A mask, latex gloves, hand sanitizer:  necessities in a survival kit for a germophobe who gets sick.