Thanks to personality tests and embracing who we are, many people today have used a battery of tests to explain themselves. The color test is a popular survey where I live, and I encounter others explaining their actions.e “Well, I am a red, so that’s the reason I . . . .” In addition, I have many friends who are lovers of Harry Potter, and letting me know which house they would reside can even tell me more about their desires. Some may like zodiac signs or even name meanings, but my most recent train of thought has taken me to: toilet stall personalities, which stall you choose can tell me more about you.
I taught at my previous school, a high school, for over 15 years. There was one faculty bathroom with 5 stalls, and to this day, I have a favorite stall, #3. My stall was selected due to the fact that #2 has walls that are off center from around the actual toilet. Did they not notice that the throne was not even in the middle? The #1, which I prefer at my local Walmart and at my new school, seems in the corner in this particular restroom. The #4 stall, well, the door sticks. I have felt trapped in there like I might have to crawl under or bang on the door, and the horror of being rescued by a high school student in the faculty bathroom because I was stuck in the stall banging on the door screaming “Let me out!” would be a story that would not die quickly. Finally, the #5 stall is just too far away.
With that being said, do you have a favorite stall? Do you have a story about how this beloved stall was chosen? Do you change up stalls at different locations?
On my quest to seek out more about this topic, I asked my own ten-year-old daughter her thoughts on the bathroom stalls at her school. On the road, she always picks the largest stall in the bathroom, or the special needs stall, as it became a habit. It had space enough for Haidyn, her seven-year-old sister, Paisley, and myself. Habits die hard. Just to paint you a picture of how much my daughter is like me, she grabbed a piece of paper and a pencil. She drew me a picture of her school bathroom and went into great detail why she has selected the #3 stall (who would have known that we would select the same one). Unbeknownst to me, she has a routine. She walks in and shakes her hip to shut the door, which rules out stall #4 because that door sticks and comes back at her. Moving on, she ruled out #5 due to a hole, #2 must be shut 5 times to close the door, and #1 won’t close at all.
We may be creatures of habit, as we could talk about where you sit in a classroom, where you sit at church, or where you even sit at the dinner table. But, toilet stalls are rather peculiar to me as to why we are so drawn to certain ones. Upon conducting an informal Facebook survey, I found out cleanliness is of utmost importance in selecting a stall. If personality ties to each bathroom stall selection, like the birth order descriptions, which stall are you?
If you select bathroom stall #1, you are a leader. You know how to get down to business (pun intended) and how to be effective in your life. If you select bathroom stall #2, you have ideas but you make up your mind when to share them. You might be considered an introvert. If you are a #3 stall user, you can see the big picture. You are able to put yourself in someone else’s shoes, or stall, and see how it can benefit everyone. The #4 stall personality is probably the most subdued personality of the bunch. You have a mission, but you wait for others to go before you. Finally, the #5 stall personality lends itself to those who think of their own needs as a priority, which isn’t all bad. Knowing what you want and going after it can be admired. Not to mention, I believe most men are stall #5 users. Overall for stall #5, we should definitely remember to keep it open for those that have special needs.
Really all we want in the bathroom, and in life, is to find some place clean that makes us comfortable. We don’t like it when we are squeezed in or forced into a situation, and if we do have to visit that stall or those feelings, we are likely not to return again. What really matters when picking anything is what is on the inside. If we can find that perfect place or person, we go back time and time again.
I want to wish you luck on your future stall selections, and if you want to spice up your next conversation or get to know your friend a bit better, go ahead and ask, “Which restroom stall is for you?”
