Note to readers — No uncomfortable content. Just good old Silent Monk philosophy.

It is that time of the day again — which brings a smile on our face. The beautiful sound of 3 Plops — “Plop!, Plop!, Plop!” — makes rest of the day all the more beautiful.

Some do it in the mornings in the comfort of their homes, while others utilize their afternoon office break. The intellectual ones grab a magazine, the Gen Z scroll through their Instagram feed, while the naughty ones cherish the latest version of “Playboy” magazine — I, fortunately, do not need any of these. My thoughts are enough to keep me engaged to go through the process — in fact at times too engaged to lose track of time.

As I go through this daily ritual, my mind continues to muse on life, philosophy and everything in between. Today, it is drawing a parallel between “The Art of Pooping” and “The Art of Life” — and what does the former teaches us about the latter.

I. There is a time for everything. If the timing is right, the efforts are lower, and results are better.

Imagine going to the washroom when the urge is not right. If we do it earlier, the efforts are more and outcome is premature. If we do it later, it makes things difficult for ourselves and everyone around us.

Similarly, for everything that we do in life, time is of the essence. Things when done at the right time produce better results and with lesser efforts. Bad timing can often derail all our hard work.

“Right time, right place, right people equals success. Wrong time, wrong place, wrong people equals most of the real human history.” — Idries Shah

In one of my earlier articles — “The subtle art of giving feedback”, it is mentioned “Your words may have no value at one particular point of time, but might be very powerful at another instance.”

2. This is our moment of peace. Savor it.

It is very difficult to find even momentarily peace in this busy world. Wherever we go, it is busy with hustle bustle and brimming with noises. As I sit through this daily activity, I have this realization that this is my moment of peace.

A moment of peace that is mine and only mine. My very own “Me time” and personal space. Even if it is for 15 minutes a day, no one is nagging me or standing on my head and asking me to do certain things.

As I come out of the washroom, I am filled with gratitude towards life for this moment of peace and everything else it has offered to me.

(Alert — As I continue to muse, I hear the first sound of Plop!)

3. Flush the waste out to intake more positivity.

Our mind and body have a fixed capacity to take in things. If our mind is filled with negativity, we cannot take capture in positivity. We must flush out all the negativity from our minds, and make space for positive things.

And how to to create that flushing effect — one needs to embrace good habits that would help us flush the bad ones away.

4. The process can be smelly, but the end goal is always beautiful.

The path to greatness shall surely pose a lot of adversities. Our motivation and desire to achieve great things should fill us with sufficient strength to endure all the hardships during the process.

As per a quotation by Charlie Gilkey, “At the end of hardship comes happiness.” This is applicable, literally as well as metaphorically, to both the activities in discussion.

“When you come out of the storm, you won’t be the same person who walked in. That’s what this storm’s all about.”– Haruki Murakami

(Alert — Second sound of Plop!)

5. Water or Paper — Different people do things differently.

Different people do things differently, and it is absolutely fine. If I prefer paper, the one using water is also right, and vice versa. We should not judge people based upon their way of doing things.

Do what suits you best, even if it is against the norm of the society.

6. Clear your mess before you leave — we need to keep the World a beautiful place when we leave.

Imagine going to a public toilet that has been left in a very dirty condition by the previous occupant. It makes us feel very discomforting and annoyed. Hence, it is important that when we go out, we leave the place in a condition as clean as it was given to us, if not better.

Similarly, imagine when we cut down trees, or poison our rivers, or consume all the Earth’s natural resources — we are leaving the Mother Nature in a messier condition than what we receive. Hence, we need to keep a constant check on our activities, so that we do not harm the environment beyond repair. If we fail to do so, our children, when they receive this Mother Earth, would feel discomfort and annoyed — just as we feel when entering into a dirty toilet.

Remember, we do not inherit the earth from our ancestors, we borrow it from our children.

As my mind continues to draw the parallels and enjoy this daily activity, I heard the third sound of “Plop!”. After all, all the good things in life often come to an end.

My heart does not want to get up, but I have an office to get ready for, and an article to publish today. As I get up from my thinking chair, my mind recounts the very famous lines that perfectly captures the emotions:

“The woods are lovely, dark and deep, 
But I have promises to keep,
And miles to go before I sleep,
And miles to go before I sleep.”
– Robert Frost

As I get out of the bathroom, there is a silent smile on my face. I am relieved, energized and filled with so many positive thoughts as I get ready to face the day ahead.

Please share your thoughts of what keeps you busy when you undertake this daily activity. 👏are optional, but they sure make us happy.
 — Please read my other Satires and Humorous articles in this list.
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