Me with no teeth
By Melissa Flynn
I’ve decided to move on without teeth. Confused? Yeah, it’s just that I’m no good with them. As a child, I could eat whatever I wanted, open bottles and miss a floss here and there without my teeth falling out.
You are probably wondering what I am talking about. I feel like it was just last month that I bit into that gummi bear and heard a crunch—actually it was about 6 months ago. The other day, I went into the refrigerator for a drink. I thought, “Mmm, cold Cranberry Ginger ale, this is going to be good.” Little did I know, but my strength was not what it used to be.
So, there I was twisting and turning. I was, as they say, giving it the ‘ole college try. Yet, still no luck. So, I figured I could just twist it with my teeth. Crunch. Crackle. And no, it wasn’t the cereal with the commercial that goes Snap, Crackle, and Pop. I looked at the bottle top and there was a crack. Okay. No worries. The next thing I knew, it felt like there was a small pebble on my tongue. Shit. It was a piece of my tooth.
Needless to say, I now have another reason to see the dentist. I hate going to the dentist. First, there is the fact that it always hurts more after they are done. Second, I’m usually at least $500 poorer once I leave. Seeing that this tooth is in the front of my mouth, I’ve decided to let it go for a while. For the next few weeks or so, I will be eating oatmeal, soup, apple sauce, bread and maybe a stiff drink here and there. And if anyone knows a good, cheap—okay, not cheap, but inexpensive—dentist…
I wish someone had told me that dealing with life’s issues would be this hard, especially when you don’t have any dental insurance. And, as many may be, I am waiting to see how the new medical reform will help my situation.
Personally, I think my situation is hopeless. Is there a medical plan that allows you to do a full body scan for all broken bones and torn ligaments and tendons? If so, I need that. Is there a medical plan that allows me to see every type of doctor that is out there? Okay, because I will probably need that also. I might sound a bit dramatic. I really could use a vacation. So, if anyone has any free tickets to anywhere outside of the Northeastern region, I want to go. I really need to get away from me. That reminds me.
About a month ago, I came to the conclusion that we all need to reboot every once and a while. And people, I am not talking about rebooting your computers. Whether or not it is a spa day, a dinner out or a movie with a friend, we all must remember that sometimes it is good to get away from ourselves.
So, as I, once again, watched an October storm make its mark, I put together a new list of priorities.
October 2012’s New List of Priorities
- Spend some time taking care of me
- Write
- Read
- Spend more time taking care of me
- Reboot
- Work on business plan
- Put together marketing plan
- Spend more time taking care of me
- Reboot
- Spend even more time taking care of me
I’m sure you can see the theme here. Many people, like me, have a habit of staying so focused on trying to accomplish something in life that we forget to do things to take care of ourselves. For example, even on the days that I can afford to eat :), I many times forget to eat. I’m always so concerned with how I’m going to pay my bills. This economy has even forced me to think about how I will survive at 65 or 70 years old. That used to be the least of my concerns. But, being single, I realized I needed to start planning.
So, in between taking care of me—eating, sleeping more, getting a Mani/Pedi, going on a vacation with you, and going to a movie sometime—and rebooting–I also have to figure out who gets all my books when I am gone.
When I was a teenager, I couldn’t wait to get older—just to be able to make my own choices. If I knew that meant I was going to have to pay my own bills and take the car to get an oil change, I would have told my mom that I didn’t want to get older. I’m not sure that was an option, but a girl can dream.
So, here I am in 2012. I wake up every day, and I keep trying to make things work. No matter what life throws at me, I will keep ‘moving on’ to bigger and better things. You can ask why, if you’re curious. And I will tell you, “Because that’s what we women do.” So, as soon as I get this tooth taken care of, I will try that rebooting thing and get back to you. And, if any of you have time to try it before then, please let me know how it works out.
