One cold is all it takes to send me to the hospital these days. And when my daughter or my wife gets sick, it becomes a game of “stay away from daddy.” No hugs. No driving in the same car. We order take out. No eating at dinner table together. No touching cabinet handles or door knobs with a bare hand for me. My wife sleeps in a different room. The dogs pick sides at night, though they’re both rather sleep with my wife. Join the club, mutts. Join the club. What self-respecting Labrador would pass up a bed for a couch?
I’ve lived like this the past 10 days because my daughter caught a cold, then gifted it to my wife. Now I avoid both of them like we’re playing a game of tag and they’re it. I stay a minimum of 3 or 4 feet away and hope I don’t bump into a stray germ floating in the air, or stuck to a surface, waiting. It’s such an uncomfortable feeling to fight an enemy you can’t see. It creates a hyper-state of awareness in me-was that sneeze the first sign? Did that cough feel different? Am I feeling “off” today? Tick tock, tick tock.
So I wait.
How many times in the past have I thought, “I made it, I didn’t get” only to be fooled at the last minute?
I need someone to invent “germ-be-gone” glasses. They would include a powerful laser to burn away bacteria and viruses. Now that would be awesome. Until then, I navigate the germ maze in my house and cross my fingers one of those little bastards isn’t going to latch on to me and send me to jail for two weeks. Tick tock.
The Unknown Cystic 
I LOVE that you are posting again although not the content of this post – crossing everything that the invisible germs bypass you! – AnObservantMind
I am imagining you (yes, guy with bag on head) with an immunity shield covering you from head to toe. All bad bugs cannot break this intently awesome magic germ fighting battle shield. However, all friendly healing bugs are inside the shield with you while you all laugh your asses off at the bad defeated bugs. I will visualize you this way henceforth.
Christ, my auto check really screwed that up. Intently = immensely and I swear I put a comma after “bad.” Sheesh. I am my own grammar nazi.
John,
Wishing you the best during this germ war avoidance!! Maybe those nasty little devils will know better than to pick on you!
I commented on your DJT post and I think it got lost in cyber space. Boo. But I agree with everything you said. As for germs, I totally understand and we’re so screwed in that department. My husband (CFer) is a teacher (strike 1). We have a 3 year old and 1 year old (strike 2). My three year old is in preschool (strike 3). We live in Chicago and our winters always suck (strike 4). I’m just hoping that somehow, the viruses aren’t too bad. Cayston has been a big help. Good luck!! Hope you avoid those nasty germs!!