"Beer: The cause of, and solution to, all of life's problems." - Homer Simpson
Coming off of a week, make that a month-long onslaught of political ads, debates, and podcast invasions, readership was down last week due to presidential politics attention.
(at least that’s what I’m telling myself because this content is pure fire week in and week out)
In just a second, I’ll pass along the single best thing we can take away from the presidential election that is tailor-made to building, rebuilding, or maintaining a healthy gut.
Free Beer
Where did I learn about the power of “free beer” and attracting attention?
Kansas.
Not the state, the classic rock band.
Dust in the Wind, Carry On Wayward Son, Play the Game Tonight, or pick any deep cut you can find and NONE of it would have happened without free beer.
You see Kansas was trying to score a record deal. After countless gigs at college bars, state fairs, and retirement parties (the last one is an embellishment), the band finally convinced a record executive to come watch a show.
They knew they had to attract a crowd that would fill the old opera house where they were playing this concert. The record company had no idea about the free beer, and most of the patrons probably don’t remember the concert, but it worked and the rest is history.
So thank you Kansas for the inspiration. I can already feel the return to opened emails and readership metrics on the shameless promise of free beer.
Key Takeaway From the Election
Sorry, no political, partisan politics today. Gut health is as bi-partisan as it comes. Just look at the colors of the two parties as an example of gut health.
The Right is red, the universal color of inflammation and irritation. The left is blue, an often-used descriptor of feeling down. Both can be indicative of an unhealthy gut and equally need fixing.
But here is the main takeaway and what we can learn from this every four-year cyclical circus we call a presidential election. Not enough people show up to vote every four years, in my humble opinion, but when you only show up every four years, it’s unrealistic to expect a predictable, informed outcome.
I’m not saying it’s necessary to be in the sausage factory of politics 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
Quite the opposite.
It’s equally unhealthy to have your only pastime or leisure activity in a political echo chamber. Most of us either have or remember elderly parents of late, with round-the-clock televisions set to their favorite channels, with the volume ALL THE WAY UP.
But we seem to take it to extremes every four years voting for a president. If you only tune in for a few hours every four years, sure it makes for great “man on the street” interviews for the late-night TV talent but it might not produce a well-informed electorate, on either side.
It’s kinda like law students after years of education cramming for the BAR exam over a weekend. I’m told to be successful it takes a month’s long process of comprehensive study.
It’s the exact same mentality one needs to achieve healthy gut status. You can’t just show up on Monday and expect that a glass of kombucha will compensate for the previous six days of the value menu at McDonalds.
Staying engaged and showing up more than once in a while is beneficial for your gut and all the ways it can help your body.
And take it easy on the free beer.
As always, thanks for reading,
Jeff
