Opting Out

The other day I had a few minutes to kill and decided to peruse the internet for some light and entertaining reading. One article’s title caught my attention and peeked my curiosity. It was “The Joys of Using An Outhouse”. Of course my first reaction was that this had to be a facetious title. I mean come on, anyone who has ever had to use an outhouse knows that it is not generally one of those experiences that rates a ten on the fun meter. In reading further I began to understand the seemingly paradoxical title. The author hit on the obvious “green” reasons for rural property owners to have an outhouse - it’s a portable, energy free, long lasting, water saving device that once it is moved and the hole is filled in allows Mother Nature to do her thing chemical free. But that’s not the “joy” part she was referring to. To her the joy of an outhouse is the ability it gives the user to “escape” for awhile to somewhere where there are no interruptions from ringing phones or other annoying electrical devices - just the sound of birds chirping, squirrels skittering in the tree tops, and perhaps leaves fluttering in the breeze. I have to agree it sounds idyllic, but I don’t think I’ll be opting for an outhouse anytime soon.