Lazy Germophobe

Last month I shared a little about my version of OCD, which involves perceiving germs and harmful substances basically everywhere. I've been wanting to give some examples, but I don't have a well-thought-out narrative. So I'm just going to start listing random stuff as it pops into my head. I never used to think twice about putting on and taking off socks. Now I'm very aware of how much time those socks I wore all day spent on the floor. I've perfected removing them with my feet so I don't have to wash my hands after. I've also been stepping out of my pants like a child would do. That's so I don't have to touch the cuffs. T he pants end up inside-out, which becomes annoying at laundry time.   Speaking of laundry, dirty laundry is another item my brain flags as contaminated. ~~~ As a person with one hand, I had my own way of doing a lot of things. Many of those tricks are out the window now. Couple examples of what I mean:   • For most of my life, I w...

  I assumed that as a life-long dog lover, I understood dogs. But our rescue pups’ behaviors threw me for a loop.   First there was Opie, who walked off a van in a Kmart parking lot in early January 2015 after living his first seven months in South Carolina. He was timid and subdued at first—totally expected, of course. After he became more at ease and seemed to be settling in, we noticed he kept showing us his teeth. By his posture, it was quite clear that he was not “baring his teeth.” This was . . . different.    It looked more like smiling.   While revealing his teeth, Opie would squint and sometimes slither around like an otter. Well, thanks to the internet, we learned that the “ submissive grin ” is a thing. Dogs use this expression to communicate to people and other dogs that they are not a threat. OK. I’d never even heard of this before.   Hey, here’s a fun fact. Know what else dogs do to appear non-threatening? Pee. They pee.   ...