This is a true story of one World Racer. Her identity will remain anonymous to preserve her dignity.
She had been fasting for quite some time and, excited about eating a meal together again, her team decided to dine at Nando’s (their favorite chicken place) for lunch. Let it be noted here, this is a bad idea. No matter how good it tastes or how much you try to convince yourself that your stomach can handle it as long as you ask for the mayonnaise on the side, it’s not okay.
After lunch, the team strolled over to a cafe and had dessert. No matter how tempting apple struddle a la mode is after a fast, it’s not a good idea. No matter how much you try to tell your stomach to just get over it and digest food like a normal human being, it’s not okay.
Laying in bed that night, she couldn’t fall asleep. Wide awake, she decided to read. Rumble rumble. “Hmm,” she thought. “I should probably start making my way to the bathroom.” But, not feeling an urgent need, she decides to finish the chapter she’s reading and then go. Let it be noted here. This is another bad idea. When your tummy starts rumbling, GO. Go now and go fast.
Rumble rumble. Okay, now it’s really time to go. This is serious.
Let me break to tell you what our toilet situation is here at camp. We have 2 outhouses near our tents, maybe 50 paces away. These, however, are only used at night and exclusively as squatty potties. The decent toilets are a good 2 minute walk away. One full minute if you hurry.
The poor girl heads off in the direction of the good toilets (knowing full well that all the toilet paper was used just before everyone went to bed but also knowing there was no time to walk up to the kitchen area first to get a roll) but unfortunately she doesn’t make it in time.
With soiled pants, sitting miserably on the toilet with no toilet paper, she wonders what to do. Nobody in their right mind comes to these toilets in the middle of the night. So she prays. “Lord, I know it’s not likely that anyone will come down here on their own so will you please send someone down here to help me?”
Pause…. Silence….. Then she hears footsteps coming down the path. “Thank you God!”
“Hello? Who’s here?”
A fellow World Racer replies with their name. “Umm. I kinda had an accident on the way down here. Can you bring me toilet paper and my towel from my tent?”
So, at 1:30 in the morning in 45 degree weather, she takes a hot shower (thank you Lord that we got a new propane tank this week for the water heater). As steam billows out into the starry night sky, she cleanses herself of her mistakes from the day and learns a very very important lesson:
When ending a fast, heed the advice of seasoned fasters when they tell you to take it slow. Even though you really want good food and you feel perfectly fine as you eat it, at the end of the day you will just end up miserable, soiled and praying potty prayers.
