Three years ago I was working as a nursing assistant at my local hospital during the height of COVID. I applied for a job in the hospital because, the restaurant industry that had kept me both employed and well paid since I was sixteen was completely null and void. I began to feel a sense of duty to do more than just serve steaks and burgers to those that were brave and healthy enough to eat out in public despite the global pandemic.

I assume this goes for most workplaces but, staff bathrooms were always an interesting place. The bathroom on my unit specifically was a single stall private restroom that was dead center in the middle of the hospital unit. This was a blessing and a curse because it usually meant everyone could tell when you were doing anything longer than a pee, and there was always someone waiting a few steps away from the door for their bathroom turn. People make jokes about female coworkers “syncing up” when it comes to their menstrual cycle but, I would argue that the “syncing” is even more noticeable when it comes to bathroom habits in the workplace.

In the bathroom there was always a bulletin board decorated with some educational information that our managers assumed we all skipped over in our emails. Sometimes there would be sign up sheets for unit councils, infographics convincing us to take on more responsibilities at work, that sort of thing. For the past few weeks though the bulletin board looked different. To be totally honest I don’t remember the exact prompt but it was an interactive bulletin board which was out of the norm. It said something to the extent of “why is it important to you to provide exceptional care to your patients?”. There were sticky notes with sharpies and a decent amount of replies. Some generic, some satirical and some thoughtful and moving. After staring at the board during my five minute bathroom break, I grabbed a sharpie and pulled off a sticky note to add to what my coworkers has written. Just then, I noticed some writing not on the sticky note and not about the exceptional care prompt we were suppose to respond to. Written in sharpie on the bulletin board corner was, “stay strong it will all make sense soon”. I looked at the words, how they were placed where they didn’t belong, pondered on the permanence of those words on the fabric of the bulletin board in the staff bathroom and I began to cry. I wasn’t entirely sure why I was now sitting on the toilet in the staff bathroom crying looking at a simple phrase, but I was. I got myself together, rinsed off my now puffy red face, took a picture of those words and went about my day.

I quickly forget about that picture and those words. Our phones however, tend to not let us forget things for too long. Photo album apps send us reminders such as, “on this day 3 years ago” forcing us to relive memories we would have preferred to not reminisce on.

Whatever the case may be, the image became fresh in my mind and that mini meltdown in the bathroom was replayed in my mind at a time when I needed it most. Sometimes nothing makes sense, and most of the time things won’t make sense for a long time. But “soon” can be waited for, and strength can be endless. Stay strong, it will all make sense soon ❤️