Not too long ago, and not so far away, I came across what I thought was the most thoughtful and remarkable concept in recent times. It was a 2Ox2O chalkboard, with chalk and eraser, mounted on the wall of a cubicle in the ladies' room of a shopping mall in Tallahassee, Fla.
I suspected the chalkboards were placed there to accommodate ladies who wished to relieve their distress/stress while relieving themselves.
I was impressed, as I had recently left St. Thomas which at the time was ravaged by Hurricane Marilyn. Everything was either destroyed, damaged or mash-up. That is to say, nothing worked. So a chalkboard situated next to a working commode seemed benevolent to me.
My interpretation was, yes, people are good. People really care about each other's well-being. Perhaps it is a concept recommended by the American Association of Psychologists.
Now, I had never written on the wall of a girl's room, ladies' room or women's room. Nor had I ever had a desire to do so. Though I know that females (and males) all over the world share this one thing in common — to deface public property by writing obscenity, love messages, hate messages or telephone numbers for various explicit, erotic services in close proximity to excrement.
Perhaps it is sexual healing. But I wondered why people feel obliged to reveal their secret selves at such a venue. Perhaps, it is like going to confession. Or the perfect way to relieve stress.
Yes, stress can be harmful to one's life! And we (Virgin Islanders) have had more than our share of stress; especially, hurricane-related stress. But we have grown strong and are a people who can say, "God is good" in the face of adversity.
I looked at the chalkboard, read the obscenities left by the previous user and erased it. Then I decided to relieve some of my own stress and wrote in large letters: "THANK GOD FOR LIFE!"
