" A N X I E T Y  I S  A
F E A T U R E  O F  O U R
E A R L Y  W A R N I N G  S Y S T E M
A G A I N S T  T H R E A T  A N D
T H E N  T H E  T H R E A T  M U S T
B E  E V A L U A T E D."
Eric Maisel



















" P E O P L E  F E E L  M O R E
C O M F O R T A B L E  I F  Y O U
L E A V E  A  L I T T L E  D I R T
O N  T H E  F L O O R."
Helen Ilott




















" F O C U S I N G
H Y P E R V I G I L A N T L Y
O N  T R E E  B R A N C H E S
M A K E S  Y O U
V U L N E R A B L E  T O
O T H E R  D A N G E R S
O N  T H E  T R A I L."
Ellen Langer

Mary and I lead courses on personal development. At the completion of each course, we close with comments that are intended to encourage continued growth and learning by the participants.

I felt particularly inspired to offer that encouragement at the end of a course not so long ago. The words came so easily into my consciousness. I remember feeling pleased with my anticipated eloquence and anxious to share my wonderful thoughts with the participants.

What I had intended to say what something like "The seeds of wisdom you take home with you today will germinate as you continue to learn and grow". What actually escaped my lips, from who knows where, was "The germs you take home with you today . . . "

The laughter eventually subsided. I laughed too, but not quite as hard as everyone else.

I discovered later that one of the definitions of germ actually includes seed as a synonym. In that case, germ or seed both refer to the earliest form of something. We rarely think of a germ in that positive light.

The very word evokes anxiety. We feel threatened. We are in the presence of the unclean and even the dangerous. I have never heard of seed warfare. Or weapons of mass germination.

I have observed our grandchildren and their relationship with germs. All three have delighted in sharing food with the dogs of the house, even licking ice cream off the same spoon. Hand washing is an imposition and food on the floor is fair game, for child and dog.

Germs have an important role in the development of the immune system of young children. I have read that if children are not sufficiently exposed at a young age, they will have less immunity and be at greater risk for illness later.

I will amuse myself here with the speculative ecology of it all. Young children do not know about germs, or seeds for that matter. That lack of awareness in early development is apparently important in the development of their immune systems. It increases their chances of exposure. If they worried about germs, they would not be healthy.

Add to that the fact that children are faster than their significant adults and, in the case of dropped food, much closer to the floor. And parents of young children do not have time to keep a house so clean that you could eat off the floor. There is logic to this little theory.

Adults absolutely need to keep children safe. This is an age of vigilance, which unfortunately often leads to hysteria and catastrophic thinking. The common sense that is inherent in our natural relationship with our surroundings is quickly lost.