My twin sister is a very humble woman.  As readers here already know, Erin and her family live on a private mountain.  They use solar power and heat their home with a wooden stove, and they don't quite have indoor plumbing.  They run a small store at the bottom of their mountain, where they have more facilities, and they also sell some of the wares of their small farm.  Erin dresses like someone who lives on a mountain, her daily life consisiting of much more manual labor than that of a typical American.  She is an amazing musician, a kind soul, and a generous spirit.  When I read the following, my heart sank:

"I went to the KOA on my way out of town like I usually do to fill up gas and propane. There was a line for both, so I opted to wait for the propane first. I parked and unloaded my tanks.

"Anyone who knows me knows that I have to make potty breaks everywhere I go. This is especially true of my last stop before a long drive. I usually go at KOA while they fill my propane. They keep the doors locked, so I always have to ask.  I asked the lady filling the propane if I could use their bathroom. She replied that they only let campers use the bathrooms. I told her that I really needed to go and I always use the bathroom, and that I am a regular paying customer. She was very short with me, so I proceeded into the office to find someone I knew. She yelled at me as I walked, "She'll tell you the same thing inside!" I ignored her.

"Inside I said to the cashier, "Are you really not letting customers use the bathroom?" She gave me the same line about the bathroom only being for campers. I asked her to make an exception for a regular customer who really had to go. She agreed to take me to the bathroom and let me in.

"When I went back to my propane tanks, the lady told me to take my tanks elsewhere, that she wouldn't fill them for me. I asked her, "You won't fill my tanks because I needed to use your toilet?" She said it was the way I went about it. She just didn't like that she told me no, but I got to use the bathroom anyway, and she is the owner. She said that it was like "when Mom says no and you go ask Dad." No, not exactly.

"I said, 'You really aren't going to fill my propane tanks?' She told me that if I could come up with a million dollars to buy the place I could have whatever I wanted, but now I needed to leave.

"Then I saw the irony in it all. She turned me away because I drove an old beat up ugly van and was wearing my laundry-day clothes. Yes, I may have looked like someone who would steal a shower or write on the wall, but that is profiling and discriminating which is against the law.

"I will be making my weekly propane and gas stop somewhere else from now on. The lady that owns the KOA is really rude and I would encourage everyone to tell their friends.

"And if you need to use their potty, make sure to drive a BMW in and wear your Sunday best. I would bet a million dollars you would be allowed."

It's such a shame that some people can be so mean to others.  When I think about stories such as the one above, all I can ask is why?  Does a person wearing dirty jeans merit denying a person use of a public bathroom?  Does that imply that she is homeless--or that she might scare away other paying customers in some other terrible way?  I've seen my twin sister on a bad day, and she's not that scary....