Dental Hygiene, Patience, and My Twenty-Seventh Year

source

I’ve been at this 27 years-old thing just shy of a month, and so far, the ripe age has bestowed some sage lessons. It all started when I decided to use my birthday money to purchase an electric toothbrush. For years, I’ve been told that I have stellar dental hygiene (even though I’m one of those irregular flossers your mama warned you about). I loved getting star reports from the hygienist, rather prided myself on them, actually.

Until! About a year ago, I got a less than shiny report. And some cavities. And some coffee-looking stains on my out-of-sight molars. It was high time to step up my regime. And, no better excuse to commit to better oneself than on a birthday. So, Sonicare it was. Happy birthday to me.

Have I lost you on my “Is this toothbrush approved by the Amercian Dental Associaton” Kevin McAlister sound-a-like diatribe? Stick with me. I promise I have some insight to share here.

So, the toothbrush came, and its instructions suggested brushing for a solid two minutes. In fact, an automatic internal timer even conveniently terminates the pulsating motion when it has run its course. Two minutes? Easy peasy, I thought.

But, heavens. Two minutes can be agonizingly long when you’re holding a gum-tickly, teeth-knocking, wiggle stick in your mouth. And, quite frankly, the first time I used it, I wanted to quit after about 20 seconds.

I need to practice patience.

In teeth-brushing, yes, but also in the everyday. As I mentioned earlier, I’ve recently been disappointed by some more foiled life plans. I’m now left with the here, the now. And while it’s my inclination to want to prepare for and create a new plan, it has become very clear to me that stillness is what I need. And though I’d love to expedite time and get myself out into the tomorrow I imagine, time can’t be reasoned with.  As I often remember, “it responds like a snail to our impatience.”

So, I conclude, brushing my teeth just two super-slow-moving minutes, twice a day—this is teaching me the value of enduring, of waiting, of knowing that long-suffering has great purpose. And, yes, I truly believe, it will be worth it.