conversations in a public restroom
I swear a saw a 60+ year old man yesterday with a proper mohawk and a limp. I’m talking about a wrinkled 60+ year old man, who was walking with a limp, and who was sporting a proper six or seven inch long mohawk. It was unbelievable and I had to do a double take just to make sure I had just seen what I had just seen. My hat’s off to you sir. For all I know, you were the original punk!
I was grabbing dinner at a pub the other night when I decided to go into the wash room to wash my hands. Public transport is where dirt and germs go to find new homes. So I washed my hands and then decided that I also needed to use the bathroom. So I made my way over to the latrine and that’s when one of the strangest conversations I’ve ever had in a wash room began. First the guy who was standing beside me asked, “you wash your hands before you go to the toilet?” To which I replied with the sort of stupid joke that a guy in a pub wash room might respond to another guy with (I like to keep it clean, for instance). But then the guy went on to give me his discourse on germs in wash rooms. About how they multiply there and then get blown around for people to breath in when somebody uses the hand dryer (I actually share this guy’s hate for hand dryers). But then he said something to me that I’ve found puzzling ever since. As if to verify the fact that he knew what he was talking about, he informed me that he had AIDS. Now listen, I know that we’ve come a long way when it comes to the discussion and the public’s understanding of HIV and AIDS, but have we yet arrived at a point where it’s perfectly normal to share that kind of information with a complete stranger in a public rest room? I didn’t think we had, but evidently I was wrong.
The guy didn’t seem saddened by the fact, nor did he seem to be looking for sympathy, so I didn’t quite know how to respond. I just kind of shook my head and continued to listen to him talk, finally washing my hands and joining my table mates with the apparent news that any topic was now on the table between strangers in public rest rooms.
Incidently, thank you to all who contributed to my last post, and Danielle, never write in my comment section again!
I was grabbing dinner at a pub the other night when I decided to go into the wash room to wash my hands. Public transport is where dirt and germs go to find new homes. So I washed my hands and then decided that I also needed to use the bathroom. So I made my way over to the latrine and that’s when one of the strangest conversations I’ve ever had in a wash room began. First the guy who was standing beside me asked, “you wash your hands before you go to the toilet?” To which I replied with the sort of stupid joke that a guy in a pub wash room might respond to another guy with (I like to keep it clean, for instance). But then the guy went on to give me his discourse on germs in wash rooms. About how they multiply there and then get blown around for people to breath in when somebody uses the hand dryer (I actually share this guy’s hate for hand dryers). But then he said something to me that I’ve found puzzling ever since. As if to verify the fact that he knew what he was talking about, he informed me that he had AIDS. Now listen, I know that we’ve come a long way when it comes to the discussion and the public’s understanding of HIV and AIDS, but have we yet arrived at a point where it’s perfectly normal to share that kind of information with a complete stranger in a public rest room? I didn’t think we had, but evidently I was wrong.
The guy didn’t seem saddened by the fact, nor did he seem to be looking for sympathy, so I didn’t quite know how to respond. I just kind of shook my head and continued to listen to him talk, finally washing my hands and joining my table mates with the apparent news that any topic was now on the table between strangers in public rest rooms.
Incidently, thank you to all who contributed to my last post, and Danielle, never write in my comment section again!
posted by Tim at 7:32 PM
Comments on "conversations in a public restroom"
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we are the spencers said ... (12:22 AM) :
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Larry said ... (4:12 PM) :
post a commenthee hee, bon jovi!!!
were you peeing through this whole conversation? i am just picturing a very awkward scene of two men standing at urinals carrying on a lengthy conversation about germs. i guess they do things differently in London.
urinal conversations are taboo. you look straight ahead and don't talk. that is restroom etiquette.
seriously, i am glad that there is some freedom to talk about the great plague of our generation. when there is openness healing, physical and spiritual can start. thanks for not reacting in a startled way. you may have been a witness and not known it.
i would love to see you try to work this illustration into a sermon.....hmmm.