You know those signs, the ones that are in everyone’s new construction farmhouse. The farmhouses that aren’t on a farm at all. You know the sign I am talking about, the Live, Laugh, Love sign. When I see the sign, or hear someone say it phrase I just have to roll my eyes. It is a feel good statement, that actually came from a poem. I feel like it is the new YOLO. Well, I’ve got a new one for those of us IBS sufferers, Shit, Wipe, Flush. I’ll hang that in my bathroom.
The statement of Live, Laugh. Love came from the poem written by Bessie Anderson Stanely in 1904. Talk about a throwback. Was someone just digging around in the poem archives and said, Ah! Let’s put this phrase on a sign and sell millions of them!
“He achieved success, who has lived well, laughed often, and loved much.”
The phrase took off in 2004 and peaked between 2008 and 2012. The phrase is a way of reminding those of what they deemed the most important things in life. Sidenote: How many tattoos of the phrase do you think are out there on random body parts?
Wikipedia describes this trend, this era as “Cheugy”. This aesthetic has been described as “the opposite of trendy” or “trying to hard”. It mentions mom jeans and pumpkin spice. Yep. Thank you Wikipedia I think you just summed it up for me.
Mr. Beast and Crohn’s
Have you guys heard of Mr. Beast? He is a kid who is a popular YouTuber. Maybe he is not a kid anymore, but he started his YouTube when he was a kid, grew his channel, and now gives away stacks of money that he makes through the views his channel generates. Guess the official title should be philanthropist.
I googled Mr. Beast for some facts and in 2023 Time named him as one of the world’s most influential people. He is ranked on the Forbes list for the highest-paid YouTube creator in 2022 and has an estimated net worth of $500 million. Wowsers. Well here is a tidbit unrelated to his bank account, he suffers from Crohn’s disease. Welcome to the club where we hang out in the bathroom. Live, Laugh, Love. Shit, wipe, flush.
In fact, Crohn’s disease is a chronic inflammatory bowel disease that affects the lining of the digestive tract which can lead to abdominal pain, severe diarrhea, fatigue, weight loss, and malnutrition. The Mayo Clinic states that there is no known cure for Crohn’s disease, but therapies can greatly reduce its signs and symptoms.
Life experiences
I worked with a guy who had Crohn’s disease. At some point in his journey, he had a section of his intestine removed. It did not seem to help him, as some days he had a lot of pain and he was always proud to tell you he had shit four times before he made it to work.
Additionally, in an article written about Mr. Beast, he talks about how Crohn’s affects his diet and by association, his social life. I feel like that is one of the harder parts of having bowel problems. As a sufferer of bowel issues, you have to make conscious decisions of what you are consuming. Sometimes bringing your food to a gathering.
Mr. Beast said that he learned which foods caused him to experience flare-ups by following an elimination diet. “There are a lot of things that aggravate it. Like chips, cookies, or things that have corn”. “I know what to eat now, where, like my diet isn’t causing it, but sometimes, It just flares up. It’s weird”.
Undoubtedly, that last statement hits home with me. I can be doing good in what I consume and then I eat something, or it is the combo of foods together and I have a flare. It can be from something that hasn’t been an issue. BAM. Trouble.
Live, Laugh, Love, Crohn’s
When you are sitting on the toilet thinking you are the only one suffering, know you are not. I am with you, Mr. Beast is with you. The new bathroom décor reminds you that you are not alone, you are here with a job to do. Shit, Wipe, Flush.
Clench. Run. Search. For a bathroom
