Perspective: everybody’s getting colds

Jonny Sonnenfeld ’20 – Index Staff

How hard is it to wash your hands or cough into your sleeve? Not hard, right?

     As we all witnessed the first few weeks of school, apparently it is extremely hard. We all came into school healthy, refreshed by the summer sunshine. Within days, however, the entire school was coughing, sneezing and blowing their noses. It was chaos.

     In almost every class, I saw many absences due to illnesses in those first weeks. It is truly amazing how one person’s sickness can spread so quickly through our entire school’s community. Honestly it’s not surprising. 

     How many times have you gone to take a drink of water at one of the water fountains and found yourself staring face to face, mere inches away from someone’s thick freshly hacked luggie. It is disgusting. Every time I drink from one of our water fountains I hesitate and consider the risk. I consider what horrible ailment may befall me before I sip from the fountain.

Do us all a favor and don’t be patient zero. Just stay home.

     As I walk down the hallways in times of mass sickness, it is like I am in the movie, Dodgeball, relearning the 5 d’s of dodgeball: dodge, duck, dip, dive, and dodge. I do everything I can to stay away from the dozens of wide-open mouths coughing their lungs out straight at me, nothing between me and the impending ordeal of the common cold. 

     Then I wake up one day and despite my best efforts, I am now one of those kids coughing into the face of the healthy. The next time you find yourself fitting the description of one of these unsanitary infectees, do us all a favor and don’t be patient zero. Just stay home.

Author: Jonny Sonnenfeld '20

Jonny Sonnenfeld '20 is a journalism student who has written for The Index throughout the past four years. He is in honors English and won a gold key this year from the scholastic arts and writing. His chili in a bread bowl article was responsible for the reintroduction of the meal in the surrounding area.