Hmm....
What Would You Do If, One Day, For No Apparent Reason, Your Toothbrush Disappeared?
Ever think about the things you use everyday? No, don’t think of things like a car;
think simple ... really simple.
Imagine what could possibly be used — as efficiently — in place of items such as
toothpaste or chewing gum.
Having a little trouble? Don’t worry, because the picture can be drawn for you.
Just to demonstrate the luxuries taken for granted daily by most people, here is a story
(slightly exaggerated) of what could happen if all of a sudden Hypothetical Bob woke
up and certain things didn’t exist.
Don’t worry, all the high-tech equipment, such as his alarm clock and coffee maker,
still is there.
If there’s one thing Hypothetical Bob hates, it’s waking up at 5:30 a.m. to that beeping alarm
clock. Still, he bears with it and grabs his cigarettes off the nightstand as he hops out of bed.
Almost immediately, he realizes that his lighter isn’t with his pack, and, after 10 minutes of
unsuccessful searching, he heads to the kitchen to get a book of matches.
With the nicotine level in his body at ground-zero, and the lack of matches in his kitchen
drawer, Bob becomes frustrated and heads for the stove.
Desperation often leads to ill choices, as Bob finds out. Although Bob was successful at
lighting his cigarette using the stove’s burner, he scorched his eyebrows and a good bit of his
hair. Don’t worry, though, nothing but his pride is hurt.
When he finally makes his way to the bathroom to brush his teeth, he sees the damage done
to his hair. So much for the $50 haircut he treated himself to the day before.
A new ’do is in order, and although he is no barber, he figures he can at least make his hair
look decent until after work. He searches the drawer for a pair of scissors, but can’t find
those either.
He can’t very well go in to work looking that way. The only other thing he can think of to do
is completely shave his head.
However, like all other things, he couldn’t find a razor to do that. No scissors, no razor and
no hair on the front of his head. Bob searches for yet another solution.
What a morning already. Regardless, Bob needs to finish getting ready for work.
And, although it has been a rather unfortunate morning for Bob so far, the nice, steaming
shower relaxes him and washes away some stress.
Speaking of washing away, Bob, shouldn’t there be soap somewhere in the shower stall?
Thank goodness Bob skipped the mile run this morning, since the soap is missing, and there
aren’t any spare bars under the sink.
So he rinses off, dreading what will or will not be in his closet.
Ah ... some good luck finally comes his way. His clothes still are there.
Right next to the dark blue, pinstriped suit is a hat. His hair problem is solved.
Having solved that minor setback, Bob also is able to conquer the problem of not being able
to find his toothbrush.
Think, Bob. What do you do when you’re out all night and wake up at your mom’s house
with no toothbrush? Of course! Just put some toothpaste on your finger and rub those teeth
until they squeak.
Uh oh. Bob can’t find his toothpaste, and his mom always has toothpaste in the house. He
decides to just settle with plain water and his finger to brush his teeth and maybe some
hydrogen peroxide as mouthwash.
And, if his breath still stinks afterward, he can just chew on a piece of gum.
However, to match the rest of his morning, he doesn’t have any chewing gum in his
briefcase where he always keeps it.
In fact, he even remembers buying some the day before. That’s OK, Bob. Just stop and buy
some on your way to work. Another problem solved.
Fortunately for Bob, his job consists mainly of using high-tech devices like computers.
Everything was fine until one of Bob’s co-workers decides to pass him a nice pencil drawing
of the boss, emphasizing both the boss’s big nose and temper. As a joke, Bob’s co-worker
writes, “by Hypothetical Bob” on the bottom of the picture and they all took part in laughing.
Wouldn’t you know it: The boss walks into the room while Bob is holding the picture. His
first reaction is to search for his pencil to erase his name from the drawing. No luck finding it.
Before he can tear the paper into pieces, he felt his red-faced boss looking over his shoulder.
Bob feels a tap and the boss hands him a pencil with the eraser broken off. That’s a sure sign
the boss isn’t happy.
Uh oh, Bob. Thank your boss kindly for not firing you and for taking the joke so well. Smile
at him as he drops the big stack of paperwork on your desk and get to work.
Hey, Bob, look, they’re bringing over your paycheck. There’s an up-side to your day.
Payday always makes Bob happy, because it means he can go out during the upcoming
weekend. Boy, does he need it, too. When he goes to the bank to cash his check, he can’t
find his pen, and every pen that is handed to him won’t work.
A little upset that he can’t cash his check, he decides to skip lunch and head back to work to
finish up for the day.
What a tough day at work for Bob! At this point, all he can think of is getting home to a nice
cool drink and easy dinner.
Don’t worry, Bob, your day will be over soon.
Upon returning home, Bob pours himself a nice tall glass of iced tea and looks in the freezer
for something simple to cook.
Oops. He forgot to go food shopping and the freezer is empty. The only thing left in his house
to eat, besides dog food, is a can of soup.
Good idea, Bob. Chicken soup should make you feel better anyway. Now where did you put
the can opener?
Come to think of it, Bob. Shouldn’t there be some flatware in the same drawer? After all,
what are you going to eat the soup with once the can is open?
With no can opener or flatware, Bob has just about had it up to here. He would go get a ruler
to measure just how far “up to here” is, but he figures it probably won’t be there anyway.
He’s very hungry, stressed, dirty and his hair still is half missing. In fact, he isn’t feeling well at
all. The thermometer is in the bathroom, and Bob figures that would be the best way to
determine whether his health is due to his day, or to actual illness.
But just as everything else he needed throughout the day, the thermometer is missing. The
palm of his hand is too cold to act as an accurate substitute.
Instead of just going to bed, Bob decides to watch a little television. That always seems to
make him feel a little better after a hard day. He picks up the remote control, bounces on the
couch and turns the television on. Hey, it’s your favorite show, Bob.
Bob smiles and crouches down a little further in his seat. As soon as he reaches the point of
ultimate comfort, the electricity goes out. Don’t worry, a candle will take care of everything.
Bob thinks he has some in the utility drawer in the washroom, but — surprise, surprise —
there aren’t any there. He smiles as he walks to the bedroom in the dark, because he
remembers he couldn’t find his lighter or matches anyway. Then, he stubs his toe on a
bookshelf.
Just go to sleep, Bob. You’re hypothetical and don’t really exist, so you won’t have to deal
with these problems tomorrow. Leave the worrying for real-life people who take those things