Maybe Howie Mandell is onto something...

Some people think Howie Mandell is weird because of his severe germ-o-phobia. Call me crazy, but I'm beginning to think he's onto something.

I'm exposed to some pretty disgusting things on a daily basis. It's just the nature of my job and I've gotten much better at dealing with it all over the last 4 years. This week though almost pushed me over the edge to becoming a full-blown germ-o-phobe. I was in an office, waiting to go in the back to see the doctor. The lady sitting across from me in the waiting room literally peed her pants. When she stood up her urine just dripped off the vinyl chair and onto the floor. No one (including the person who was with her) cleaned it up, no one sanitized the chair, everyone just acted like it didn't happen (yes, I told the front desk discreetly). still, nothing.

Tomorrow, when all is dry and gone, whomever sits in that chair will do so not knowing that it was pretty much someone's toilet 24 short hours prior. How many times do you sit in chairs in offices not even thinking twice about what may have been there before you? Or to the mom's out there...how often do your toddlers put their little hands all over the chairs and then into their mouths? or spill their cheerios and try to eat them off the chair? I'm just sayin'...it's one thing to expose our kids to "general germs" so they can build up decent immune systems, but it's an entirely different ball game when it involves the bodily fluids of strangers...or anyone for that matter. ew.

I'm already that person who uses the back of my hand or my elbow to open doors in public, probably because I see how many people sneeze into their hand and then open a door. I always carry my own pen because I see how many patients wipe their runny nose and then use the office pen to sign in for their appointments. Even shaking someones hand now makes me wonder where their hands have really been. (again, because of the industry I work in). Kinda makes me question the idea of covering your mouth when you sneeze, which only makes sense to me if you HAPPEN to sneeze right next to a sink with soap OR a touchless hand sanitizer station...neither of which is likely.

I know I'm not as bad as Howie (yet) but I understand him a little more each day. :-)