He Had His First Colonoscopy, Found It 'Wonderful'

In one sense, it's a fairly typical plea: Sam Anderson just had his first colonoscopy in middle age, and he encourages others to do the same. But Anderson's essay in the New York Times Magazine takes a unique approach to this idea, one that has nothing to do with health benefits. "It turns out that despite everything you've heard, getting a colonoscopy is wonderful," he writes. "It's the most fun I've had since the sunniest summer days of my childhood. I would like everyone to experience this bliss as often as possible." And yes, he includes the notorious body cleanse necessary the day before, which "was as liberating as a spa day. ... All I had to do, all day long, was liquefy my entire insides."

As for the procedure itself, Anderson, of course, has no memory, because he was blissfully knocked out:

• "Eons later, I was reborn. I opened my eyes onto a new world. I would not have been surprised to have discovered myself cradled in my mother's arms, unable to speak, ready to start my whole life over. Or to find that I had grown a long white beard and that everyone I knew was dead, including the gastroenterologist and his staff, and to have been informed (by the AI robots monitoring me) that I was actually the last surviving human being."

Read the full essay. Or read about how 45- to 49-year-olds don't seem to be following new recommendations to have the procedure.