The Toilet Paper Mystery

Every vacation has a funny story. Our November 2024 trip to France ended up with two.  One was on a puddle jumper short plane flight to get us to Munich to begin our long journey home.  The first 12 rows were dedicated to Business and Economy Plus passengers. The rest of the rows behind a curtain were for regular Economy travelers.  

As it was just a short flight, we were the only ones in the front of the plane. Every single other seat was empty and you couldn't see any of the people in Economy behind the curtain. We couldn’t even hear them. It looked like a scene from Twilight Zone where we woke up to find ourselves the only people on the plane. 

The second happened while we were walking around Avignon.  We decided to explore a local market called Les Halles. It is held in a storied indoor venue with vertical garden, cafes & stalls selling local produce, breads, meats & cheeses. Mostly locals were there when we walked through. It was filled with alluring offerings presented beautifully, and the aromas that swirled around us were divine. 

On the way in we noticed the bathrooms and decided we would make pit stops before continuing on.  I entered and opened the first stall door.  All that was inside was a toilet. That's it. No toilet paper or even a dispenser to hold a roll of toilet paper. I checked every stall including the hobbit height door that opened on one for kids - nope no toilet paper and no dispenser of any kind.  To say I was confused is putting it lightly. 

My salvation came when a local who did not speak English came in.  I only have a few words I can say in French.  Somewhere I managed to remember the word papier - paper.  It probably wasn't the right word, but by pointing in a stall and uttering papier, she understood. She looked in a few stalls in confusion and then turned and smiled.  There on the wall between the sinks was a toilet paper dispenser placed about shoulder height with a large roll in it.  I have never seen this before.  With great relief I uttered merci. 

While I was relieved, I couldn't help thinking how you had to know exactly how much toilet paper you were going to use in advance.  What if there was a surprise and you needed more than you thought?  I guess you just had to make do.  I bet it saved them lots of paper though.  Everyone in the restroom could see how much you took if they cared to. 

Back home I found myself returning to this moment and smiling. It was hilarious. And this was my best funny, can-you-believe-it story from this trip. But it also got me thinking about closed loop and limited thinking patterns.  Lately I have seen more division arise on everything from vaccines to politics to whether drag queens can read books to kids in libraries.  Each side digs in deep and knows in their heart they are right. There is no room for compromise.  Immersed in closed loop thinking p, we tend to draw into a tight group of those who agree with us, and distance ourselves from those who do not. 

This creates the perfect storm for closed loop thinking and limits us from seeing the world and the problems that face us in more creative ways. It shuts down inquiring minds and keeps us from moving in new directions, or even finding a way to celebrate our diversity which is humanities greatest strength. The black and white of I am right and you are wrong thinking holds us all back.

Every place I have traveled, the toilet paper was placed in the stalls within easy reach.  Your stall might have run out, but the dispenser was there. You could check.  This is the first time I didn't find it.  It never dawned on me to think outside the box and explore other areas in the bathroom they might have chosen to place a dispenser. It had always been done one way, so that was the right way. My thinking was closed loop to the max.  If the other woman hadn't come in, I would have left in frustration.  

This stands as a clear sign to me I need to start widening my perspective, let go of expectations and open the taps wide on creative thinking.  It's a muscle that I am obviously not exercising enough right now.  Whether small snags in my daily life, or bigger world issues, I need to make sure I stay open to new ideas and innovative solutions.  I need to kick myself back out of that comfortable box again and get a wider perspective. 

This is a lesson that has landed in my lap over and over. Each time it gives me pause.  It is way too easy to sink back into that comfortable space where you are doing things the way you've always done things and you are comfortably cocooned in a circle of like-minded friends.  Be brave. It isn't easy to let go of your safety net, and not every encounter will be pleasant, but the rewards for expanding your perspective and letting go of the usual rut can be enormous.