WARNING: If the subject of poo bothers you, stop reading now, and check back on May 9th.
Last week, my professor asked us to find a subject or situation that changed our lives and then continued to go around the room and one by one, we were all invited to share.
I was so excited for him to come to me. Although I’m still working out some issues with the particular experience I was about to share in therapy, the situation truly did change my life (very dramatically at first, but eventually for the better).
It was finally my turn and I excitedly shared my experience. Once I was through, I looked around felt myself burning red with embarrassment.
The class and the professor were not reacting the way I thought they would. Were they in disbelief? I couldn’t tell. There were questions and I answered as quickly as I could.
“Yes, there was poo everywhere,” I answered.
One of my classmates leaned over and whispered, “Where did she get the poo?”
To me, the question was irrelevant. ‘Where does anyone get poo?’ I thought, but I answered the best I could.
“Her butt,” I whispered back.
I looked to the front of the class where the professor was standing. He was still looking at me and heard my answer. He turned to erase the board and said, “Let’s move on.”
Do I lack class? Is it ok to talk about poo as openly as I do? There was a time when I couldn’t even say the word.
I realized after sharing in class that I talk about it too often and am much too open and comfortable with the subject for other’s standards.
I live amongst a community of people who, for some odd reason, think talking about it is just upright funny. Call it lack of maturity or what have you. I don’t really know how it happened. Just all of a sudden one day, it was the trendy topic of choice and kind of stuck.
It’s not always funny either. Sometimes it’s a very serious ‘I’m having a situation here’ conversation, and we’ll exchange medical advice or home remedies that might assist, but admittedly, most times, the subject is strictly for fun.
I have decided to clean up my potty talk. This week, I’m going to write all about it so I can get it out of my system and hopefully stop talking about it as often as I do. I hope to fill the new space with topics that aren’t so gross.
I have three stories on the subject (including the one I shared with my professor and my class last week) that I will cover. If you’re grossly fascinated, then please visit back often.
If you’re not so keen on the subject, I understand (most are not), but I ask for your forgiveness for being so crass. I will try very hard not to bring it up again after this week. Please come back then.
Coming tomorrow…
How It Is That I Came To Be So Comfortable With the Subject (Just As Comfortable Talking About It As I Am Talking About the Weather)
Tell me your thoughts on the subject. Is it really that bad? 
ClutterHeart 
I may be in the same place as you. And I know without a doubt where my comfort in talking about some of the things that “civilized society ” finds so unacceptable. I have two children one and three…. and there are daily talks on subjects that might just turn others a little green. 🙂 But how else does a child learn. And while at first I was uncomfortable answering those frank questions that come from my children, I soon realized that MY response gives them the information that they need to form their response. As that thought registered I realized that so many of us feel uncomfortable in the presence of others because of those societal norms that we feel somehow exclude us. Guess what we ALL poo…. and being embarrassed about it only creates problems of many types. So we are really open about things of that nature in our house. My hope is that our openness will help our girls to never have to feel embarrassment about something that is normal, natural, and done by all of us.
Good points Melissa and I think you are doing wonderful things for your kids by the way! As I was reading your comment, I was pondering about the invisible lines that cross between topics that can be shared by family vs. topics that are appropriate for people who might not know us that well and topics that are ok to bring into the workplace and such. Yes, everyone poops! Even at work and at school! It’s so hard to keep a balance when you kind of live “off the radar” of social norms, and mostly within a “family culture”, where we can be more relaxed. I am remembering my uncle bunkering down in the garage with a lit match to his butt, demonstrating for us kids the power of methane and instructing us not to tell the other kids at school about his “science experiment”.
I takes a bit of courage to talk about “poo.”
We have an annual party, where our hens are set loose on a piece of plywood painted with bingo squares. People buy a square, and whoever is lucky enough to have a chicken do it on his or her square first, wins.
Which means I invite people to come to a party to watch my chickens shit.
Which means people sit around waiting for the chickens to shit.
(We also have beer, food, and a live band. But they come for the chicken shit.)
So, two things: One, do you want an invitation? Two, would you believe that the party planning committee finally agreed, for the first time, to call the part what it is: not “chicken what bingo” which we have lamely called it in the past, but now, officially, bravely “chicken shit bingo.”
And anybody who has kids knows poo from poo, don’t they?
Heck yes I would LOVE an invitation to that party! Chickens and poo,two of my favorites. It sounds like a blast! Yes, I agree, persons with children are good with the topic. Though I do not have children, the children in my life have warmed me up to the topic, pooping and peeing (heehee).