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The swine flu has influenced me to do one thing more frequently; and that one item certainly isn't avoiding pork. The flu Pandemic has gently nudged me into frequent rendezvous with anti-bacterial soap and repetitive hand washing. While I do take all the warnings seriously; soaking in the abundance of warnings and information like a soggy sponge, Pork , happily, still remains a friend to my family.

When the last Salmonella scare fiercely warned us to avoid tomatoes at any costs, like a patriotic American, I complied. I avoided every little speckle of the sweet red stuff, every last luscious salsa at my favorite Mexican restaurant; only to find out months later that the real culprit was possibly the Green Peppers. Yes, the green peppers that I had feverishly consumed while obediently avoiding the tomato, as my Government cautiously advised me to do so. The good news is that I am breathing, enjoying life, and aside from being a typical over-stressed human in a downward economy, frightened to death - I am functioning quite well, thank you, and lovingly preparing pork (cooked thoroughly of course, with meticulously washed hands).

I don't think secluding ourselves, or avoiding healthy foods, will do anything to prosper our spirits or encourage brotherly love. The opposite could occur in fact; we could contact the flu and know that we spent precious time worrying about what could have been, instead of living in the moment. Absolutely, wash your hands, teach your children all the valued lessons of life, from kindness, to morals, to cleanliness (yes, anti-bacterial soap). Listen and learn, but do what your parents always told you; make your own informed, intelligent decisions. Remember, to be a leader, you must not follow the crowd; but offer that boisterous crowd to follow you-even if that "crowd" is your own little family. So while I admit, I listen to every single scary Swine flu fact (or fiction), I advise my own family to avoid panic, be kind to your friends-just don't share tissues, drinks, or kisses for the moment-but do enjoy everything life has to offer. And that offering could very well be a barbecued baby back rib on a glorious summer night, a dip in the pool, or just a walk outside in the beautiful sun, even if perhaps it is an ozone layer with a lot of virus floating around.

Protect yourself, absolutely- but avoid humans and all the things in life that are so sweet and precious ?-No way! My advice is to laugh often, grab the happiness before it's fleeting, love those around you, and for goodness sake, enjoy a perfectly cooked piece of marinated pork if that completes you. As someone much more wiser than myself once said, "Dance like nobody's watching"; I completely agree, just add a touch of antibacterial soap to those perfectly poised dancing hands.

Learn more about this author, Nancy Todisco.
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