The coronavirus scare has everyone talking about hand washing. There are instructions for how long to wash, how vigorously to scrub, how often to do so — and they all seem to come from this premise that people don’t like washing their hands, and need to be coerced into doing it.
Maybe that’s because the stats are appalling. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says only 31% of men wash their hands after using a public restroom, while only 65% of women do. What? WHY? It’s not just easy and sensible, it’s actually really nice.
I’m here to tell you: washing your hands is one of life’s tiny joys.
On a chilly, winter day, running your hands through warm water feels like a treat. It’s a respite from the months of frigid temperatures that wear me down. A tiny moment in my day where I don’t feel like I’m fighting for comfort against the cold.
In the increasingly warm summers we have these days, it’s refreshing. Like a cold glass of lemonade for your hands when the dew point refuses budge even a few ticks lower.
And don’t forget about soap! I have my favorite scents — usually something in the neighborhood of “fresh mountain spring”, though my number one is the rhubarb scent from Mrs. Meyers.
Washing my hands is an excuse to have nice smelling hands. Even the basic “clean” smell of everyday hand soap puts me in a good mood.
And it’s fun to make it foam up. Remember being a kid in a bubble bath, having fun playing with the soapy stuff like it was some kind of disappearing play-doh? You get an itty-bitty reminder of that when you wash your hands.
Smile at the memory while you hum whatever song is long enough to get you to wash for at least 20 seconds. My preferred song is Tu Vuo Fa L’Americano, which I learned after Jude Law and Matt Damon sang it in The Talented Mr. Ripley — and which I also hum to make sure I’m brushing my teeth long enough.
Several times a day, I look forward to washing my hands. Maybe I’m a weirdo, but it strikes me that most people would too, if they took a minute to think about the tiny pleasure that it is.
You shouldn’t need to be chastized into cleaning your hands, especially after doing something like using the toilet. If nothing else, it’s a few-times-daily break from the onslaught of troubling coronavirus news.
