May 3, 2012. Paul Hixon
credit: John-Morgan
Unlike the portable toilet, there is simply not much call for a market in portable outside showers. The reason for its lack of popularity compared to its toilet cousin is the simple fact that the portable toilet is the preeminent expression of convenience, while the portable shower is simply an after thought. People are thankful when, after a period of needing urinary relief, they spot the familiar and comforting garish colors that demarcate an area of portable toilets. However people do not walk around on the street and suddenly think, “why, I need to take a shower this very minute!” It is simply not done, you see.
Yet for all this outside showers still have their uses. They will often see use when a public pool has just been opened and the shower facilities are not entirely operational. The portable shower system provides a much needed stopgap to fill the blanks of the operation, and even if they will not be remembered fondly – if at all, they have still fulfilled their purpose and earned their parent company some money.
This is the least a portable shower renter can hope for – the profit and minor gratitude that comes with the territory. It is a lonely job with not much room for advancement, but it is still a job that is done and done with a modicum of pride – the pride that comes with accomplishing a thankless job that no one else wants.
The humble outdoor shower – portable or not, it is certainly there almost anytime, and anywhere it is needed, fulfilling the job it was built and meant for. That at least is something. That at least is use.
So keep in mind that while something might seem externally completely useless, there is always the hope that it is filling a niche that otherwise would not be filled, doing a job that would otherwise not be done. There is still room at the bottom for all things, after all, and being at the bottom is by no means something to be ashamed of – the bottom, after all, supports the top.
Updated May 3, 2012. Published May 23, 2011. Paul Hixon
