| Amazing latex gloves cure germaphobia (10/09) | | Print | |
| Written by Shelly Tong | |
| Wednesday, 21 October 2009 | |
|
I consider germs one of my number one enemies. Once upon a time, thinking about their presence would occasionally distract me from even the simplest task, such as reading a textbook that has possibly come into contact with vile dust microbes. My phobia has decreased somewhat since then, but there was a time when my paranoia of germs frequently overrode my thoughts. As a frequent bus taker, I love that MUNI brings me everywhere, but it is while the bus lurches along, when I hold a bar to make sure I don’t fall over, that I become most aware of the germs around me. My mind wanders to the microscopic parasites that have accumulated from the bacteria-infected hands of the previous people who held the same bar. I imagine them crawling in every direction, quickly scurrying from the pole onto my hands, then consuming my arm before attacking my face. As soon as I hop off the bus, I immediately look for a bathroom to go wash my hands. Until I’ve cleaned my phalanges, I can practically feel the bus bar germs creeping over my hands. At first, my efforts to defend myself against germs inhibited me, but that changed in seventh grade, when I discovered the exceptional tool that freed me of all my fears — latex gloves. One day, my science teacher announced that the class would be dissecting cows’ eyes. The first thought to cross my mind was, “Nothing could possibly make this okay.” After I slipped on a glorious pair of latex gloves, though, their magic was determined to prove me wrong. At the beginning I was holding my breath a little, watching to see if the dead cow’s eye was planning to make any sudden movements. Once I pushed up my sleeves, took hold of my X-acto blade and got going with the dissection, something unexpected happened. I realized that as disgusting as the eye was, with my handy dandy gloves, the germs couldn’t touch me! This revelation was the key that allowed me to come to terms with germs and get to work. Before I knew it, I was cutting off cow excess, slicing open the thick cornea, and discovering the buried optic nerve, forgetting the fact that part of a dead animal was within three feet of my face — which would ordinarily freak me out beyond belief. Clearly, latex gloves were an indispensable tool in helping me overcome my anxiety over infectious spores. Since my seventh grade science experience, although I don’t wear gloves in the shower or to church meetings on Sundays, I’ve used latex gloves to overcome my extreme aversion to germs. They have helped me with various potentially pathogen-ridden volunteering projects, such as helping with zoo clean-up and cleaning multiple bathrooms. If my revulsion of germs was my disease, then a pair of protective latex gloves is my cure. Now, slipping on a pair of gloves, though they only cover a small percentage of my body, instantly expels my terror of inhaling and consuming nasty microscopic viruses and contracting rare and fatal diseases. Discovering latex gloves and conquering my fear of germs has led me to understand life a little better. I have now come to realize that as insanely scary as certain circumstances may seem at first, all I need to do is find the key that will help me subdue my fears. Who knows, there may even be a tool miraculous enough to vanquish my horror of birds. Share this article:           |
| < Prev | Next > |
|---|
to listen.
