The Finest Hour

Monday, July 19, 2021

Woke up with no more Mr. nice guy by Alice Cooper playing in my head. "What’s the significance? I don’t know!"  (Peewee Herman voice). Despite the rain those incredible surreal never to happen again moments materialize in the strangest of places without warning! 

We went to bed last night in the tent. I was feeling like I might actually drift off to sleep fairly quick when my stomach had other plans. I reluctantly trekked across the road to the state park bathrooms. There was no one in there when I first arrived but after a while what sounded like three or four boys of various ages, pre voice changing age came in on a mission to pee and brush their teeth before turning in. Rolling conversations ensued amongst them. What sounded like the older boy of the group, possibly 11 or 12 years old said that he was going to the bathroom and to let mom and dad know. Two more boys remained at the sinks brushing their teeth. The little one kept drinking water from the faucet, over and over again. I could not see him, but I could just picture him hanging on the front rim of the sink on his stomach, feet flailing behind him, slurping water, gasping for breath in between drinks. 

The middle kid finally had enough and tells him “hey! Stop drinking so much! We’re headed to bed!“ The little guy replied, “it’s just water, so it doesn’t really count.“ The middle kid disagreed, “oh yes it does! Every sip of water equals a minute of peeing!“ Out the door, they went.

I was still grinning from the science of that water equation while there were various grunts from the end stall until the 11 or 12-year-old very quietly began to sing a song. I wondered if he knew someone else was in there. As the moments passed he sang louder and louder. The words came clearer as time went by, “how great, how great, how great is your love?“ Louder and very melodic, he could definitely sing. My guess is it was some sort of Sunday school song.  

An adult came into the men’s room and went into the center stall. The boy just kept singing away. I washed my hands and left. Back at the tent as I tried to fall asleep, I thought about the boy who is not afraid to sing in the State Park men’s room. Will he always have this innocent confidence? If so what will he do in life, will it be important in a family sense or important in the eyes of the world? One thing I knew, he has a good start with his parents bringing him camping during childhood.