Poop

I am as obsessed with bodily functions as any nine year old boy or at least as much as Martin Luther.

Dearest Martin Luther wrote about his bowels more than any person outside a gastroenterologist. I would quote more of his poop and fart quotes, but they are totally inappropriate. That's saying a lot for me. My favorite quote was when Luther thought he was facing death and said,

“I’m fed up with the world, and it is fed up with me. I’m quite content with that. The world thinks that if it is only rid of me everything will be fine, and it will accomplish this. After all, it’s as I’ve often said: I’m like a ripe stool and the world’s like a gigantic anus, and so we’re about to let go of each other.” (Martin Luther,  Table Talk, 5537).

Seriously. He had some issues.

 I haven't come to the point in my life where the two major subjects of conversation are bowel movements and sleep, but there are times I come close. Like when we go on trips.

There is no way to travel with twenty-two people and share three bathrooms without some awareness of bodily functions, especially when they feed us split pea or bean soup. I think folks can keep up polite facades for a good twelve hours, but after that things slip through.

I'm all for Febreeze in bathrooms and such, but I'm also all for recognizing that none of us smells like roses. I do try to convince my husband that my gas is cute and smells lovely unlike his which originates in the bowels of hell. But, I know it is not true.

Our bodily functions keep us humble. Everybody poops and everybody stinks. Perfection does not lie in constipation or rose scented farts. Perfection, or at least Christian community, does lie in trying to live with one another in our stench as well as our fragrance.

That's why I love going on trips. Anyone can fake having their stuff together and smelling lovely for an hour, but over a long weekend, we have to learn forgiveness and trusting each other with our less lovely selves.

I'm happy to be home with my own bathroom. Don't get me wrong. But, I'm always thankful for a chance to love and be loved a bit more fully in all our fetidness.