THE FOREST WORKER POOP CABIN
Once upon a time, I crossed the pathway of a forest worker. He was storing stuff in his car trunk located in a material hardware retailer parking lot. I was coming out of the store and my car was parked next to his. He witnessed people coming right behind and yelling nasty stuff at me. One can be known without being a public figure. I grew accustomed to human misconduct so I just hushed the incident. The forest worker portrayed a mature-age handsome & fit charismatic man with a beautiful smile. His accent, clothing and manners quickly hinted me that the man was no city or village old-boy. He was not wearing a watch and was not equipped with tech gadgets. His car air-freshener and unique manners had me intrigued about his roots. I felt from his pheromones that he wanted to disarm the situation so he struck up a conversation with me. He was not flirtatious but had a very sensual voice which made it more inviting for me to listen. Back in the day, the forest industry was a lucrative one and families did not need to escape trees to discover the world. I am a very private, reserved person and generally hide behind a cap, glasses and clothing to thwart the evil eye and ensure that I am apt to defend myself in case I get attacked. I choose to drive motors that do not attract attention for obvious reasons. My clothing shielded my silhouette and my hair was hidden in a cap so I concluded that the forest worker's spontaneous behavior was not instigated by attraction. The first thought that came to mind was that destiny had placed the man at the right place and the right time just in case.
The man started the chat by saying: «I wish people were homeschooled like me spending days in the forest cutting trees. They would learn to poop with dignity and respect!».
The man had me entirely absorbed by his marginal life and savage roots. It explained his sparkling light-colored eyes from long days under the burning sun as well as his tanned skin and red neck.
The man went on with more details about his life: «I come from a very big family and have many brothers and sisters still living in the forest. I had loving parents who taught us right from wrong and were homeschooled themselves. I have never fathered children, never married and spend my days surrounded by trees. Back in the day, there were few international corporations cutting trees. Once in a while, outsiders from my forest would cut trees and use my poop cabin without permission. Forty years later, times have changed, and now international corporations and their foreign workers ask permission to cut trees and use my poop cabin! Just like me, I also have learned manners from people all over the globe when I drive hours and hours to the city or village for errands.»
I then asked something uncontrived: «Don't you worry when people use your poop cabin?»
He responded: «Here is how I see the world: The globe turns and behind businesses are managers from various cultures and religious beliefs. When one continent is resting nights then another continent wakes up to work. Behind businesses are people and whether they are homeschooled or educated in institutions, they eventually learn to manage sentiments and not get carried away by the momentum. I have learned to share my poop cabin because it is better to learn to poop with dignity and respect rather than respond something unwelcoming to others. When I poop, I make sure that I have enough soil around to decompose it and not contaminate the poop cabin with a smell. I have learned that the forest is not my forest and that it belongs to the common-man.»
He then candidly added: «But, I can imagine that it might seem unrestful to share a poop cabin when a woman bleeds from down there!»
I responded: «It is nice to see a man sensitive to women issues!»
He responded back with a smile: «I can talk to you for hours. Can I have your number so that I can call you back for a comradery coffee when I pop up for errands in the city?»
Although then man was very interesting and would have been a wonderful comrade, I was focused on setting firewalls to secure a new life. I responded: «I am sorry and I am relocating to a new city. Thanks for the conversation and life lesson.»
He bang on responded in a gentleman way: «Thanks for making my day a bright one. Take care!». I quickly shook his hand showing my gratitude and jumped in my car and left off. I was concerned that I would occupy his mind although could not be part of his life.
The following is what I have learned from the forest worker and that I wish to transmit to the young man scared to go back to school: People are people and people do not change but times change and it is best to focus your efforts on making the best out of it. It is better to poop in dignity and respect than get carried away in public. You will learn on your own how to control yourself. It is not easy to keep calm and keep cool at all times but it is a necessary must. One cannot cheat the process in doing so.
When I was the young man's age, internet and mobile phones were not around. It was also a time of international conflicts and humanitarian unease. News hit hard locally and I was stigmatized in school and in various spheres in my life. One had to learn to filter media and news to build a reasoned interpretation of what was going on locally and internationally. I actually stopped school in a program that was not seen kindly in an era containing few women from visible minorities. I did not turn to anyone for help and lived silently in fear. I was also labelled and grew fearful about my future. There were good people and bad people in school and in various spheres of my life. The bad people including those from my cultural and religious background as well as other cultural and religious backgrounds became ghosts who sporadically come and go to haunt me back. There will always be good people and bad people who will come and go in various stages of your life. There will always be influential people who will take the stand to comment in the media. As you age and with life experience, you will learn to scale down people and reason the world your own way. You will also learn to defend yourself when people use power trips or gangster tactics against you. On the one hand, it can be frightening when one sees powerful people with means to destroy take the stand and say things in public that might jeopardize your future. On the other hand, it can also be frightening to be part of a mass group that can also misrepresent the thinking of a minority. You will make mistakes in your life but learn from them. I have also learned from various jobs, particularly frontline and first-aid workers, that all voices including those influential become secondary in a crisis situation.
To the young man in question, my immediate swift response did not change: «Change channel and focus on your future!». I hope the story helps!