How are you feeling?

“How are you feeling today?”
“Poopy :)”

Indeed. As I said in my last post, I desperately needed to relieve some pressure that was building on my bladder. While the pressure was quickly disappearing, I admired the doodles, the messages, the quotes, and the responses written all around me. Of course the one dialogue that caught my eye is written at toilet-level to my right. It took me a second since my finger got caught in my belt, but it hit me. “How are you feeling?” she asked. “Poopy :)” answered the other girl.

At this moment in time, I am prying my finger from my belt buckle and thinking, “Does anyone really care how someone else is doing when they’re going?” The answer: no. Or at least, I hope not. Let’s be honest here: although it may be normal verbally to ask a roommate or a companion how they are doing while one is doing their thing on the seat (or standing), it’s a little more unusual to write your inquiry to strangers. Obviously the answerer had a punny response. It took me a second for it to click. Why smile after you just admitted to feeling poopy? Shouldn’t you be frowning if you’re poopy? Oh, wait! Pun on bowel movement and human emotion. Clever, indeed, lady. Clever indeed.

With a flush and a laugh, I couldn’t have been more excited to share this picture. I washed my hands and ran back into the stall, pulling out my camera from my purse. Thankfully my meeting was in the evening otherwise I’m sure students of all majors would have thought I was some weirdo taking pictures in bathroom stalls. Seriously though: if you were going to ask a question like that it deserves a playful response. Let me first express my gratitude to the answerer for not sharing her deepest darkest secret or saying that life could be better and all she wants to do is cry. No one really has time for that except for the Counseling Center (and close friends). Just cut across the Quad diagonally from the Foreign Language Building, walk in between Altgeld Hall and the Henry Administration Building and cross the street onto John Street and it’s the building to your right. They’ll listen to you better than the etches on the stalls of any restroom on campus.

I knew there were some clever people on this campus