Writing Because of a Restroom

It's funny how a lot of my inspiration comes to me when I'm walking into the women's bathroom at work. I am so not sure why that is the case, but it seems to be a time when my mind disconnects from work and just drifts. My heels click onto the tiled floor and I let the dim fluorescent lighting wash over me. My script a few months ago started out with a bathroom scene. "A familiar sound of urination" was a key phrase in the description. A phrase that gets quite a bit of attention. But it is so routine. And for my novel, I seem to pull a lot of my main MC's thoughts from my own when I walk into the bathroom. And no, my characters' lives do not revolve around the bathrooms. I rarely put them in the bathrooms--but it does happen more in this novel then in some. Only because bathrooms have recently pulled a lot of random thoughts. For instance, I walked into the bathroom one day to find that it was a group meeting room. Sure, women congregate in the bathroom in clusters to talk boys,  makeup and everything from tampons to lighting fixtures. I always find it intriguing when some of my friends talk on the phone while using the bathroom vs. the friends who are appalled to even have the phone near the bathroom. The head of our HR department at work frequently takes calls while she's in the stall--this I know only because she is a loud talker even a few stalls down. But the one thing that triggered it was when I made my MC have a similar viewpoint as me. She felt uncomfortable with the thought that so many women were gathered in the bathroom to talk at the counters while a few sat on the cushioned chairs and one even sat with her chair pulled outside someone else' stall.

I have no problem discussing bathroom issues only because it is so common. I remember when I was younger and girls would turn on all of the faucets and air dryers to mask the sounds. And, while I don't particularly feel comfortable hearing sounds coming from the stalls (regardless of which number you're doing), it is a natural thing. I also don't have a problem with friends using the bathroom while on the phone. I mean, sometimes, you're in the middle of a conversation that is too good to hold for and it risks peeing your pants. I get that.

But, I think it is odd that I pull a lot of ideas from that first second walking through the bathroom door. At least my novel is not taking place in the bathrooms. Instead, they take place in very specific spots. But the bathroom at work is always a thought-provoker and the bathroom at the bars is always a great segue/escape. I think that the main part is that when you walk into a bathroom, you're finally able to relax for a second. You stop thinking. And that, dear writers, is a blissful time for creation inspiration. ...I wonder if anyone's written a novel from their toilet...I might not want to know.