Hygiene-up in times of Corona for the Fiddler

A quick adjustment of my spectacles, moving away from the growing flock of my forehead, and the customary knuckle rub along the outer tip of the nose - this is pretty much a part of my personal conduct at the office, home, job interview, or when having a good time, outdoors. By and large, I am a fiddler of the physical type. Until now, it was dropping these habits because they made me look a bit anxious, which I naturally happen to be without a good reason, and tends to undercut the impression. Now, living with Corona has given a new twist to these things. Now, dropping these mannerisms is about survival habits. Now, with a 2.5-month-old infant to care for at home, I have to cut out the habitual fiddling. I had never mindfully absorbed these traits.

Somewhere down the line, they just merged with my unconscious self. I have been repeatedly corrected and sensitized about the need to drop the continuous fiddling, but so far, nothing has helped. All this changed with the coronavirus promising to invade our living space and wreak havoc with our lives. For the first time in almost a decade and a half, I am ready to re-look at my habits, habits that had been worn down like a river pebble and smoothly integrated into my persona. I can no longer take the liberty of using the morning hour tissue and holding on to it for a few minutes to check out Google News - I have to dump it in that millisecond that follows the customary nose-wiping!

Overall, the personal hygiene checks are at an all-time high:

- Never touch the baby after just having entered home

- Don't touch any eatables without sanitizing your hands

- No more scratching the scalp when lost deep in thoughts

- No more using the elbow to scruff up the nose

- Being conscious about not spreading loose tissues

- Scrub the hands, don't just wash them

- Maintain a pair of footwear meant for outdoor visits, parked near the entry door

...and am sure, there is a lot more to come!