While
“Winter is Coming” may mean different things to different people (I’m with you
fellow Game of Thrones fans!) we can all agree that to promote health and stop
the spread of infectious disease during winter, we need to keep washing our
hands. To prevent a seasonal epidemic, protect our
vulnerable populations and be an all-around clean person, hand hygiene is a
responsibility for all to share.
Wash your hands! How often did we hear that when
we were kids? How often do we say that to our kids or grandkids? You’re a
pretty normal parent or grandparent if you admit you say it all the time. There
is a great reason for this being a part of our vocabulary. Hand washing plays a
significant role in stopping the spreading of infection. Grocery carts, doorknobs, escalators,
oh my! If you’re a germaphobe like me, the disinfecting wipes and hand
sanitizer stay pretty close-by.
Employees must wash hands before
returning to work! Geez,
I hope so. I actually get a little spooked when I read those signs in
restaurants or grocery stores. Are there people who actually don’t wash their
hands after using a restroom? Ugh! Seriously? The sign is there for an
unfortunate reason. A scary, germy, gross reason. Wet hands, apply soap, rinse
well, dry hands. It’s not that hard.
But,
unfortunately, people don’t always wash their hands and “Winter IS Here” as
Game of Thrones only has six episodes left for their final season. Anticipate
the destruction of treacherous Queen Cersei! Fight the Night King and the White
Walker invasion! Beware the Ice Dragon and its magical zombie breath! Impart strength
to our beloved characters and two remaining dragons as they battle to save humanity!
But in the meantime, what will happen with the wild romance of our gorgeous power
couple, Daenerys and Jon, especially since the viewers know the blunt facts of
Jon’s parentage? So you ask me, what do dirty hands and Game of Thrones have in
common? Not much, except there isn’t a whole lot of hand washing going on in
Game of Thrones. In their defense, it was a tough time to live so I’ll cut them
some slack. But I won’t cut you any slack!
The game-changing
twists are what have kept us tuning into Game of Thrones. Thank goodness our
personal winter doesn’t have to be a complex weave of story line with a huge
cast. And although I’d love my boring Michigan winter to be spent in
breathtaking locations such as where Game of Thrones was filmed, I’ll
ultimately be happy to get through the winter without getting sick. I’ll also
be watching Game of Thrones reruns in the comfort of my warm home in my
favorite chair with a lit candle and glass of wine…with clean hands.
