Well, it’s Wednesday night at 10:30 PM. This blogging thing is getting real now. And I have no one to complain to since the whole thing is self-imposed! My life is very hard. #tinyviolin
So, yesterday I had a dental procedure done. Guys, it was not my first time. This is where fear really bites you in the rear end. There was a time in my life that I steadfastly did not go to the dentist. It started off for a good reason (first job with no dental insurance!) and then carried on as a habit built on denial (if my teeth don’t hurt, I’m probably fine!) and then went into full on avoidance mode (now I haven’t gone in so long that I surely have mouth cancer. I should not go in or my fears will be realized!).
I fully understand that I am a crazy person. But this was my life. Finally, several 
years ago, I got a dentist recommendation from a trusted friend, summoned all my courage, and made an appointment for a cleaning.
The dental hygienist took one look at me and ran to fetch the dentist. The dentist sat me down and explained that he was going to have to do several fillings and a deep cleaning. And that’s when my courage left me and I started to cry, but it wasn’t until he reassured me with this sentence: “Don’t worry, you’re not going to lose any teeth” that I realized how bad it could have been. All-in-all, not a great day for my self-confidence given my mental breakdown in front of a man I’d never met, but a good day for a lesson. Always the life lessons. (Thanks, Lord.)
Since then, I have stalwartly taken care of my teeth. It helps that my dentist office cares about making me feel comfortable (even though I am certifiable) and I’m allowed to do many of these procedures under sedation (because I am a wimp). Still, there have been many, many trips to the dentist. I coped with the same way I cope with all obstacles in my path: I baked.
If you think that dental staff cannot be won over with baked goods, you would be wrong. I know it’s ironic, but it’s the law of small offices. It’s why our office looks like a bakery from the day after Thanksgiving all the way through Christmas. People just eat that stuff up…pun definitely intended.
So, I took the consequences for my years of tooth-al neglect and with every visit I won over the front office staff with sweets. They are the ones with the real power, after all.
This last procedure was fairly routine, but I was greeted by new faces. I casually asked: “So, does Julie still work here?”
I was told “no” and that she “decided to not make the commute from up north anymore.”
“Oh.” I said, trying not to panic. “Well, what about Amy?”
“Amy transferred to the other office, but she’s since left, too.”
WHAT?! All that work. All that careful bribery. I WAS ABANDONED. Had the drugs not been working their magic, I’m sure I would have been more upset in the moment.
In the blink of any eye, everything changed. And now I have to start all over. I’ve recovered just fine from my procedure yesterday thanks to assistance from true friends that were willing to schlep me to the office, make sure I was still breathing while I slept off the loopy meds, and made me delicious soup . Thanks to Todd, Kate, and Katie without whom I might not be standing today.
Next time you see me smile, you might be tempted to try and count the fillings. Don’t do it. That’s just awkward. Don’t be that person.
And with that, my Wednesday Words of Wisdom are complete.
See you all tomorrow!
XOXO,
Amy
P.S. OH, YEAH, and go to the dentist. Do not be like me. I’m the worst.
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