Getting Going

This is likely the first of many apologies along our journey. As a physician, I am more apt to talk about body functions than most. However, physician or not on a long journey proper body functions can be perhaps gross but critical to success.

In the last five days we have packed and driven from Colorado to Canada, attended Gloria’s family reunion, eaten more food then in the previous month, loaded and packed our bikes and bags repeatedly, and finally arrived in Banff. Throughout these days we’ve had repeated excitement. And with that excitement came bowel movements.

I’m not sure if others experienced anticipation and excitement like I do. For me the fear and excitement of the unknown leads to increase peristalsis or movement of the colon which eventually results in the colon emptying.

The first episode of this cause and effect was at our house shortly before leaving. Trying to make sure everything we would need for 2 months was in the bags and in the car was both terrifying and exciting. Fortunately, the effect of that terror occurred while still at home and in the comfort of my own bathroom.

The next episode occurred Sunday afternoon when my daughter and son-in-law drove away from Glenwood, Alberta in our car. They were taking the car back to Denver for us. As soon as they left, I realized things were getting pretty real. Again, the terror led to the peristalsis and fortunately I was at a house. Unfortunately it is my mother-in-law’s where everyone shares a bathroom. Too bad for everyone else.

Yesterday my brother-in-law Luke and sister-in-law Laura were nice enough to drive us from Glenwood all the way to Banff and drop us off once again. Now we are in Banff with two bikes and a boat load of gear. Now things are very real as we have to either call someone and bail out or get on our bikes to begin pedaling South. Again, fortunately for me, we have a hotel room with the toilet. Needless to say, my colon is clean enough I could have a colonoscopy.

As I pondered this causational relationship between the unknown and bowel movements I realized that perhaps in old age the reason we get more and more constipated is because we have less and less excitement in our lives. We’ve already been through major unknowns like starting college, getting married, having babies, sending babies off to school, and a myriad of firsts with employment. The only unknown in our advancing age is when will we die and while that’s terrifying we all feel it so unreal that it doesn’t do much for peristalsis.

So while all of you may think
that 60 year old people riding their bikes across the country through the wilderness is crazy, I think it is wonderful medicine, not just to keep our colons healthy, but in fact to keep us looking forward to the fewer and fewer years that we have a head.