Phone call postponed until in public bathroom stall

Some conversations need to be had at a specific time and place. While locations such as busy streets and funerals are typically not considered ideal to give someone a quick ring, there's one spot many appear to go out of their way to make calls in – public bathroom stalls.

In fact, people often postpone dialing a number until they're seated on a toilet known to hundreds — if not thousands — of derrieres. This includes Madison, Wisconsin's Stephanie Barlowe.

"I was getting ready for my virtual therapy session, but I felt strange about doing it while sitting on my couch. That's a spot I associate with comfort, which is not really conducive to the point — I need to be vulnerable. That's why I left my apartment and talked to my therapist while in a Target bathroom stall instead," said Barlowe, who continues to need significant psychological help.

Although it's common for stall conversations to have a depressing energy, they also may very well be one of the most important calls of a person's life. That was the case for Kearney, Nebraska's Jason Laurier.

"I had a phone screening for a great role in one of the best companies in my industry, so I obviously wanted to put my best foot forward. The problem was, if I tried really hard, I could almost hear construction sounds in my house. I didn't actually, but I almost could," began Laurier, who lives three miles from the nearest construction zone.

Not one to leave an opportunity on the table, the big shot got to work.

"I needed the best audio quality possible, so I wasn't taking any risks — I headed straight to the men's room at Long John Silver's. Their bathrooms are pretty big, so sound travels well. I could definitely hear the shock in the interviewer's voice when they realized I made the effort to make sure the sound of my voice was at a higher caliber than others being considered," said Laurier before including that he was glad to be on a toilet during the call due to having eaten "medium rare chicken."

When most people enter a public bathroom, they're having trivial thoughts to the tune of whether a janitor has worked there in the last few months or if the soap dispensers are just for decoration. Now, instead of wondering which stall will be open for them, people may want to consider opening the stall to their hearts — after all, the only thing better than overhearing strangers' conversations is when it partially covers up the sound of yesterday's great deal on bean burritos.

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Photo courtesy of MarkBuckawicki via public domain