Everybody poops

When your dad is a gastroenterologist, conversations about bowel movements, diarrhea and gas are fairly commonplace — even at the dinner table. For instance, we all know the first thing one family member who shall remain nameless does each morning is poo. The whole day is a wash if that doesn't happen. Others need a little coffee to get things moving, if you will. I know what foods have a high fiber content if that's what you need. Did you know that three bean burritos from Taco Bell will roughly fulfill your daily requirement for fiber? I did. Poo is what we do.

It came to my attention the other day that not everyone is as comfortable with discussing this aspect of life. While in Ireland it came out that one member of the group hadn't yet one day. I no longer remember why it even came up, but immediately this problem became a recurring theme of the week. If we were sitting down for lunch or dinner looking over the menu, someone was sure to point out a high fiber option. The other day another friend and I were out for dinner and a discussion about colonoscopies started. Apparently his family members over the age of 50 had a some what detailed conversation about their last tests at the dinner table recently. As he told the story he explained how embarrassed by it he was. Seemed like no big deal to me. After all, regular screenings are important for the early detection of colon cancer. Come on people.

What's the big deal everybody does it? There's even a children's book telling us that it's OK!

Side note: I wowed my classmates in fifth grade by being able to spell gastroenterologist. That was probably the only time my spelling skills have been something to brag about.