Toilet
Paper Crisis
“And
now here is the quandary, the pitfall of developing a writer’s mind. The mind
can become stuck, leaning toward the dark. It’s good to be astute, discriminating.
To not take things at surface value but to train ourselves to know things as
they are, including the willingness to also see corruption, betrayal, greed,
the world askew. Penetrating into situations can also develop cynicism. Even an
innocent walk can turn into a diatribe…Eventually, a writer can become an opinionated
old grouch unable to bear humanity.”
Natalie
Goldberg (The True Secret of Writing, p.139)
Ok, so I guess I have developed “writer’s mind.” Opinionated old grouch, here. Yesterday, I made the mistake of going to Costco to grab some supplies in case the big self-quarantine hits over the novel corona virus. I arrived at least twenty minutes before opening to find the entrance crowded with determined-looking shoppers gripping their carts with clenched teeth and white knuckles. I pulled a cart loose from the chain of hundreds and found a space to stand and wait. By the time the door rolled up the crowd had spread far into the parking lot. A stampede ensued! People literally rammed each other with their carts to be at the head of the pack. They ran. I ducked into the electronics section until the herd passed and then weaved my way into the slower traffic toward the coffee and eggs.
A red-faced man, cursing
and furious, stomped past me going the other way and saying, “Let’s get the hell
out of here!” as though he’d entered an action movie in which everything was just
about to explode. The rush turned out to be about toilet paper! The crush at
the back of the store forced management to guard the precious commodity to
ensure no more than two to a customer—each package contained enough toilet
paper to last at least a year at my house. What, I wondered, did people believe
this respiratory ailment would do to their bowels?
The check-out lines
extended all the way to the back of the store, but I was fortunate enough to stand
behind a lovely woman from Ireland. We chatted, and she showed me phone photos
a friend in Italy had sent her of people in Rome standing on-line waiting to
pick up supplies. They were spaced about ten feet apart, one person to a
household. They were quiet, considerate, orderly, and following best social-distancing
practices. What on earth has happened to us, I wondered? Why do we think it’s
okay to run over people to get to the toilet paper? Big, dark questions surfaced
within my cynical, grouchy mind followed by even darker answers.
According to Bill Moyers,
steering clear of cynicism requires an act of will. One must not only curb one’s
ego but go ahead and stomp it flat. I tell myself that folks are truly scared
about this virus, and they want to protect their families and themselves. I
understand that. I just hope that furious man didn’t get into his car and have
a heart attack on a packed interstate highway. Then what would happen to all that
priceless toilet paper he’d wrenched from the arms of a ferocious crowd? Really,
people! What’s up with the toilet paper?
In the Spirit,
Jane
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