I recently received a message from the state of Wyoming, where I am currently living, that they are closing most of the rest stops along the major highways due to COVID19. When will all of this insanity stop? I literally cannot make the three hour trip between here and Denver (where two of my daughters live) without needing to stop and use the restroom. In fact, if I have that second cup of coffee in the morning, I cannot even make the one hour trek to Cheyenne, without stopping in Chugwater to use the facilities.
Clearly, closing the rest stops will create a bigger problem for women than it does for men and no doubt, it was men who came up with this preposterous idea to save the state money. Closing down the recycle center and the restroom facilities is pure idiocy! So is wearing masks, but let’s not go there.
I recall travelling with my parents and siblings when I was just a girl, long before the interstates and the convenient rest stops were in place. Gas stations were few and far between and many of them did not provide public restrooms. If they did provide them, in many cases you were allowed to use them only if you were a paying customer. I have painful memories of several occasions when I was in pure agony, waiting for my stepfather to find a place where we could stop. I often had to “hold it” for miles and when we finally reached a bathroom, I had difficulty emptying my bladder.
Shouldn’t the ability to take care of one of our most natural needs be a priority? I have often wished that I was a bird or a chicken because they just go when they need to. They do not require a special location and they have no inhibitions about such matters.The human race has so often lost sight of our most basic needs based on what is considered proper or acceptable, and even what is considered profitable. Isn’t it time for the majority to stop being door mats for the controlling 1% of the population and to demand that they begin acting for the benefit of all?
