Autumn was unusually long this year. The leaves seemed to have forgotten the season, remaining vibrant green with no intention of falling. I was taking a peaceful stroll through Central Park when, out of nowhere, my stomach sent an urgent signal. A total disaster was about to strike. I dashed into a nearby T.J. Maxx store and ran straight for the restroom. I caught a blurry glimpse of what looked like urinals, but I was too desperate to see anything clearly. I just charged into a stall.
Only after surviving the crisis did I finally look around. Oh no. There was no toilet paper in the dispenser. I frantically rummaged through my pockets, but all I found was dust. “Oh my goodness, what do I do? What am I supposed to do now?” As I sat there holding my head in panic, I heard a rustling sound from the stall right next to mine. Looking down through the gap under the partition, I spotted a pair of heavy men’s leather shoes. Oh dear. I had run into the men’s room and was sitting there looking for toilet paper! They say when people are desperate, they lose all shame, and that was exactly me.
Plucking up all my courage, I carefully called out. “Excuse me… I’m so sorry, but there’s no toilet paper here. Could you pass me some?” A moment later, a generous handful of paper quietly slid under the partition. As if fully understanding my miserable situation, another big clump was tossed over right after. It was a true lifesaver. “Thank you so much. By the way… am I in the men’s room?” Soon, a deep, polite voice came from the next stall. “Yes, you are. The women’s restroom was right on the right side of the entrance, but you must have missed it.” “I was in such a rush that I didn’t see it. I am so sorry. And thank you again.”
Before the gentleman could come out of his stall, I quickly stood up, gathered myself, and retreated into the women’s restroom to finish tidying up.
Strangely enough, whenever I face an urgent bathroom emergency, a scene from the movie Doctor Zhivago automatically comes to mind. Or I imagine the tragic scene inside the trains carrying Jewish people to Auschwitz. “What did all those countless people do when they desperately needed to relieve themselves in that packed space?” Just thinking about it feels horrific and overwhelming. In Doctor Zhivago, there is a scene where they open the train door to throw out waste, only to find a wall of ice as big as the door blocking them. I always remember that harsh scene where they had to smash the ice with a shovel and sweep the frozen waste mixed with straw out of the train. Reflecting on that memory, sitting on a clean toilet and being able to safely relieve myself felt like an immense blessing.
So what if life isn't always grand or high-minded? Just sleeping well, eating well, and relieving yourself comfortably is enough to make a human being truly happy. I want to deeply thank the polite gentleman in the next stall once again for giving me this small yet enormous happiness. The more often we feel grateful in life, the more our happy moments will multiply.
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