Telephones and Toilets

I wonder about many things.

• I wonder about world hunger, hurting families and the homeless on cold nights.

• I wonder why gas goes up 30 cents in less than 24 hours and then takes three weeks to go down 15 cents.
• I wonder if I will live well and leave a legacy of love behind.

I also wonder about many other less meaningful bits of life.

• I wonder if restaurant food is safe to eat or if the yuck revealed on investigative shows is true.
• I wonder if technology makes us smarter or less so.

Today I visited a public restroom and now wonder something new.

I had the privilege of  hearing an entire one-sided conversation from an unknown and unseen bathroom “mate” . I could hear the swish as she shed her essentials, sat down with a sigh, and the conversation began.  

Yes– the complete and entire cell phone conversation unfolded to my unwilling ears as the stall  next to me was turned into her own personal phone booth. I love stimulating talks and meaningful relationships and believe there are many places for engaging in conversation.  Public bathrooms are not one of them. I was not sure if I should leave the safety of my own little stall or stay in place. It was odd, awkward and weird.

I wanted to tap on the door and say “Excuse me but did you know you are in a bathroom and I can  hear everything you say? “

I considered answering one of the many questions she was firing into the phone. I thought about telling her there were unspoken rules about what you are allowed to  do in a bathroom and she had broken several of them.

 I wanted to press my face against the metal door and whisper (loudly) …

“MUST you do that in the bathroom? ”

Instead, I quietly finished my business, stopped at the sink and left. She never skipped a beat. Not one. Kept talking while flushing. Never stopped.

• I wonder why people do what they do and when manners became obsolete.
• I wonder who she was talking to.
• I wonder how they would feel if they knew where she had taken them.

Manners. Common Courtesy. Grace. Dignity. None cost much in time or monetary goods,  only thought and deed.

Do you think manners matter?  Is etiquette still important or am I crazy?

Please tell me in the comments what you think.  Together we can imagine a world where people are kind, thoughtful and don’t talk on the phone in public bathrooms.