Public Restrooms

This is the persnal experience that I warned you about being posted earlier.  It is NOT for the squimmish or faint of heart.  Enter at your own risk.

There are many times in our lives when we "just gotta go" but we're nowhere close to our very own bathrooms.  In some cases, we can choose to risk kidney and bladder infections just so that we can avoid using a public restroom.  At other times, this is just not a do-able situation.  Like it or not...

A couple of weeks ago, I faced one of those impossible situations.  We had been shopping in an out-of-town store when my bladder decided that it just could not take it anymore.  It was either make my way--quickly--to the closest rest room or take a chance of needing a mop soon.  Needless to say, I ran for the restroom at the front of the store.  Fortunately, I made it to the restroom just in time.  Two stalls were available.  One was for non-handicapped individuals.  The second was for the people such as me who have difficulty lowering and raising back up.  I, of course, took the second alternative.  Iwent  stall and locked the door.  I then took a look behind me and saw the "handicapped" stool.  All of a sudden,my need r a mop was starting to look like more of a necessity than before.  In most handicapped stalls, a taller-than-normal stool with handicap pull-up rails are available.  Thank goodness the rails were there because the stool was tinier than most.  Was this some kind of a Candid Camera spoof or what?  I couldn't believe it.  In order to use this, I would have to practically lower my postier to the ground.  Oh, my!  What if I slipped?  I would be taking a chance of breaking my tailbone or hip.  In either case, when emergency personell would arrive, they better be wearing rubbers because they would have to tromp through a large puddle to come to my rescue.  LOL!

I had no other choice than to woman up.  I grabbed the bar and as gently as possible, I lowered myself to the porcelain fixture below me.  Getting there was easier done than I had expected.  I guess it helps when gravity pushes you downwards.  My excess weight actually helps in a case such as this.  Once my bladder was emptied, it was time to raise up.  Again, the bar next to me was a great asset.  The extra weight that had just worked positively for me, for a change, now was going to be a negative...again.  I pulled on the bar which was fastened securely to the wall.  Thank goodness!!!  I used by knees to push me up.  Pull. Push. Pull. Push....  Eventually, i was back where I needed to be--on my feet.  To this day, I have NO idea why any intelligent human being would install such a minute stool in any bathroom!  I have to wonder what the non-handicapped people had in their stall?  Since I can't imagine a shorter toilet, bathroom users may have been expected to lower themselves to the hole in the floor.  LOL!!!

I would like to say that was my last public bathroom woe but that would be a lie.  A week ago, I needed to use the restroom in a different store.  In the large restroom, there was a long series of stalls that enveloped toilets for people who have no problems lowering or raising themselves.  At the other end was the stall for people such as me.  When I first glanced at it, the door was closed.  I waited for the door to open.  When it did, a young girl and boy exited it.  But instead of maing their way to the sinks, they entered into a different stall.  I walked into the handicapped stall and soon discovered why they had not used the toilet.  It was plugged.  Being the daughter of a plumber, I recognized the tool standing in the corner.  Most of us refer to it as a plunger.  I too the plunger by both hands and proceeded to plunge it in and out several times.  At first, it was beginning to look like a professional plumber might be necessary afterall.  Ugh...  Then, all of a sudden, something broke loose and all of the paper and water quickly disappeared through the hole.  Ahhh...my bladder could now be vacated.  I lowered myself onto the tall toilet that most physically handicapped people prefer.  While I was doing my thing, I soon realized that my rear end that was sitting on the toilet seat was now soaking in cold...VERY cold water.  What???  Where did that come from???  I lifted myself and grabbed for toilet paper that I needed to dry off my oversized bottom.  What I REALLY needed was a LARGE towel.  Once I had done the best with what I had, I again reached for the handy-dandy plunger.  Again, I plunged and plunged and plunged.  No matter how many times I did it, not a drop appeared to exit the stool.  I gave up after a few minutes.  I washed my hands, exited the restroom and notified an employee just out of the restroom area that there was a major plumbing problem.

That was my last time to use a public restroom so far.  It is sooo nice to use our own bathrooms.  When we remodelled the bathrooms in our new home, we replaced the standard avacado stools with much taller white stools.  Ah...Heaven on Earth...

VLE-B