The first few months of 2006 were difficult ones for me. The office where I work was in total upheaval, I was moving to a more expensive place and the bills were piling up, and my best friend's mother, whom I had been close to, was losing a battle with breast cancer.

One night my boyfriend at the time had a show his band was playing in Kirkland, and I went along with him. The show was at some shitty little dive bar, as they so often were. Towards the end of the evening I decided to brave the bathroom, because after several beers even the prospect of a filthy dive bar public restroom isn't enough to make your bladder agree to hold on for another half an hour, even if you beg. ^_^

In this restroom was more graffiti than I have ever seen. Covering the sides of the stalls were the usual anecdotes about sex, name calling, and political slogans. Crudity in black ink. Amused, I was entertaining myself by reading a few of the sentences, laughing at the improbable drawings of male anatomy, when I saw it. Surrounded by important quotes such as "I <3 Lucas, best sex ever!", "Impeach Bush", and "Katherine is a whore", was one sentence that struck me:

"It just is."

Just three words, written in small letters, diminutive next to the rest of the phrases that people had been in a hurry to scrawl across the side of a toilet stall. And I found in those three words surrounded by filth, something so profound I can't quite express it. It's amazing what you find when you really need something, but you don't know quite what it is that you need. I think about that phrase that I found surrounded by graffiti whenever I'm depressed or stressed out, and sometimes it helps. Not always, but enough. So to whoever thought to write "it just is" in a public restroom, my hat is off to you. Thank you for giving me those three words.

(visit http://www.xkcd.com/)