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Or at least I’m learning to! At thirty-nine, I can whistle! Thanks to the miracle of dentures, the holes in the roof of my mouth are now covered and I can whistle! I’m driving the family crazy. Give me a few months and I might just be able to whistle with Deanna Durbin!
I turned thirty-nine yesterday. I don’t feel thirty-nine, but according to my birth certificate, I am. Thought you oughtta know. It started much like every other day… wake up, get on line, have something to drink or eat, get to work… I did a few extras. For one thing, I needed to pack for our trip out of town last night, so I started cleaning out our bedroom closet a bit while I worked. That was kind of important to me since I’ve been getting my room in shape again. About the time I had all of our clothes laid out and had planned to make a run to the store for the kids, I got a call.
“Mrs. Havig, can you come in today at 4:00 or 4:30. The guy from the lab wants to make sure that your bite mold is right.”
What am I going to say, no? I agreed, called Kevin, and stepped up the process. I had things to do. First on the list was getting those clothes in a duffel bag (which I could not find.) Then I wanted a shower so I could go shopping. My body on the other hand, decided it had other ideas which kept me house bound if you know what I mean. Sigh. I never did get to the store. By the time Braelyn had Kevin home from work, I was packed and ready to go… except for a bit of curl to my hair. Don’t want to freak them out, and I did have a nice Birthday dinner planned!
Desert Sky Dental- Victorville, CA
We hop in the car and toodle on down to Victorville. We arrived at three. So, I signed in, gave them my cell phone number, and told them to call me if they needed me before 4:30. Off we went to Big Lots where I found some cool beans things for paper crafting and a chair that Braelyn needs for her photography business. I bought the paper stuff… I’m still thinkin’ on the chair. About 95% sure I’ll get it if it’s still there when I go back. While we waited in line, I got a call from the office. “We’re ready for you.”
Off we went. Unlike most dental places, they really do get you in a room really quickly and usually start working on you in a reasonable amount of time. I find that unique to my dental experiences. I told her about the piece of bone I could feel and she assured me it was normal and if the oral surgeon thought it was too long, he’d file it down a bit. That’s what I assumed, but you never know. They fit the pieces in my mouth, checked the bite, decided it was perfect, but the assistant didn’t like how loose it was on the bottom left where we’d already extracted broken teeth. She was concerned that the gum had already shrunk so much that the plate would be too loose for starting. The dentist listened to her, felt around, checked it out, and agreed. They decided to take a new mold.
The last time they did the mold of my mouth, I had no trouble. But with fewer teeth to stop the stuff from squishing way back into my soft palate (and making mold of my tonsils too she said), this time I gagged a couple of times. I felt so claustrophobic. It was short-lived, however, so after maybe ten minutes, we were out of there. The nice thing about going in again was having the nurse tell me I could have a small cup of water around 4-5 am. I was determined to do it so my blood volume would be as high as I could get it. I have tiny veins deep beneath the surface. It’s hard to “find a vein.”
Comfort Inn Suites- Victorville, CA
We left there and went straight to the hotel. That was fun. There were two shows on about girls and their “sweet sixteen” parties that we just howled over. The first girl didn’t seem to have much fun at her party. We all knew it was “all about her” including a brand new Audi, but she just didn’t seem happy or having fun. I don’t know if that was camera editing of if it’s the sign of a spoiled life. The second girl was also self-centered and a bit of a brat, but she was at least appreciative and she clearly had fun. I have no idea what the second mom paid for their party bt the first mom spent $180,000 to turn sixteen. Ouch. That’s triple what I paid for my house!
Finally, Kevin and I decided to go to dinner. I chose Outback because I knew Kevin wouldmore easily find something he wanted there, and I could get their tenderloin. I wanted BEEF in my system since I knew I wouldn’t be eating much for a few days. I had their tenderloin and stuffed shrimp and sweet potato. Mmm it was good. Very. Good. Mmmm… Afterwards, we strolled through the VictorValley Mall and bought candy at the Sweet Shoppe, a Hallmark Keepsake Ornament for me (cause I collect the bird series and I wanted it), and though we looked for a book I needed at Barnes & Noble, I didn’t get it. Bath & Body Works had this amazing perfume… something citrus… I almost bought it. It smelled so fresh and clean. I just loved that stuff. I kind of– no way, I really regret that now. If I feel up to it, when we go back on Tuesday, I might just get it. Then again, if I know me, I’ll just forget. Oh well.
After dinner, we went back to the hotel. Kevin, still nursing the same headache he’d had all day, went for a sit in the hot tub while I watched Clean House. Oh that show is startling! I also guzzled. G.U.Z.Z.L.E.D. I wanted all the fluids I could get in me before 1:30 a.m. hit. Turns out, I could have kept going until 3:30 a.m. but that story is coming.
The beds were amazingly comfortable, but neither of us slept very well. We finally decided it had to do with our being accustomed to a fan that sounds like an airplane engine. Our BRILLIANT white noise was gone. At five, Kevin woke me up to let me get my last dribbles of water. Alas, I could have had a little more than I did. Oh well. I got up around eight, puttered around getting dressed, put on my tennis shoes that I haven’t worn in 2 years, posted a facebook, HK, and WS prayer request, and off we went.
When we arrived, we found that they wouldn’t let Kevin leave to fill prescriptions. Next time, we’re going to demand them an hour before the proceedure is supposed to start so that we’re not riding around for half an hour waiting for them to be filled. We were early. My appointment was 9:30. We got there just after 9:00. No biggie. The gal told us that the lab said they’d arrive somewhere around 9:15 with my teeth.
9:15- No teeth. Staff apologetic.
9:30- No teeth. Staff very apologetic.
10:00- No teeth. Staff very apologetic and getting a little impatient.
10:30- No teeth. Staff extremely apologetic and getting very impatient.
11:00- No teeth. Staff is no longer apologizing… they know it just magnifies the wait by now. They are visibly agitated.
11:30- (or somewhere close) Staff calls me back.
Now here is what is interesting. They took my bloodpressure. It was 140/85!!! Mine is always around 110/60 or 110/70. That was so bizarre because I didn’t feel nervous at all, wasn’t even extremely excited. Actually, I was looking forward to laying back and resting. I was exhausted. The second one was lower making me think that maybe the first one registered while she was doing the IV stick. The gal was good. That’s all I’m sayin’. Good. Gal was great!
Then they gave me nitrous oxide. I didn’t quite understand that, but what the hey. I mean, General Anesthesia is on the way, so why the oxide? At some point, they must have given me novocaine too because I woke up to a 100% numb mouth. The last thing I remember before I slipped into oblivion was one gal asking the other, “What happened?” Ummmmmmmmm WHAT? Still don’t know what that was. I’ll have to ask.
I woke up with new teeth in my mouth, in a wheelchair, heading out the door. I’m sure they did other things to wake me up, but I don’t remember them. They said I fought the proceedure. Whatever. I don’t remember it. They said the dentures fit beautifully. I can feel that they fit well, but I do have questions. Such as
- Why is my mouth, which has always had varying degrees of an underbite (from mild to severe depending on how many teeth I did or didn’t have), suddenly have an overbite?
- Did I damage something when I changed the first gauze packs and discovered that my lower plate was sitting sideways on my gums? *eek!*
- Why did my biggest blast of pain come in the interim between full numbness from the novocaine and the novocaine being worn off completely. When I was fully numb, just soreness, no real pain. When it was wearing off but not gone, PAIN. Severe, I want to cry, pain. Once the novocaine was worn off, I was still sore, but the PAIN was gone. I think it’s weird and I want to know why.
Do I like my new teeth? Sure. They’re attractive enough, they’re not broken, rotted, yellowed, or likely to fall apart if I bite something too hard (although my gums might right now!) How do I feel about the process? I’m very grateful. I can’t imagine living in a time when this wasn’t possible. In the middle ages, I would have died by now from infection and who knows what. Do I have any doubts or regrets?
One.
I don’t know if it’s the gauze packs (don’t think so because they’re gone now and I still see it), the swollen cheeks, neck, and jawline, the adjustment period, or what, but I don’t look like me. I’m not exactly a beautiful woman and I really am not exceptionally vain, but I look at myself in the mirror and I think, “Well, she does look a little related, but she doesn’t look like ME. (It’s not the actual teeth showing. This is with my mouth closed. Open just makes it that much more pronounced. And, I’ll be honest, I think aside from the obviousness that broken and decaying teeth are very unattractive, I looked better the other way. This gives me a very different face shape that I’m praying I don’t have to get used to.
The teeth are worth it. Regardless of whether or not I like how my face looks six months from now, I’ll LOVE my new teeth.
I’d just love to thank the Lord and my amazingly supportive husband for the gift of new teeth and I’ll work at being thankful for what may turn out to be a facelift as well. I took before pictures on the cell phone. Not sure how to get them off but when I do, I’ll post before and after.
Here are two afters… in all their unattractive glory. If I look whipped, miserable, and in need of a shower… it’s because I am. All three.
Tuesday I went back to the dentist’s office. They took out a wax version of my gumline and put it in my mouth trimming here, adjusting there until they liked what they saw.
Then, to Lorna’s delight, they put blue stuff in my mouth, had me chomp down, and hold it for probably ten minutes. It was exciting in a very ho-hum sort of way. I guess it was to tell them how tall/short to make my teeth or something.
So far, the only problem I forsee is that the bone they cut off after an extraction is still poking through my gum. Either that, or they didn’t get all of the tooth. I am not sure which. Either way, it’s frustrating and I hope not an indication of a problem that will delay my surgery.
The 21st is the day. I’m so excited about it. In just forty-eight hours, I’ll have new teeth.
It’s just so exciting.
Today is my last day of being 38. Tomorrow, I’ll be 39. It amazes me that so many years have passed. I thought I’d spend it in a smidge of introspection. So here, I confess.
- I am extreme. I’m a neat freak or a slob, a minimalist or a collector. I don’t have ‘a few books’. I have a library. I don’t have ’some crafting supplies’ I have a store. However, in my excessiveness, I don’t want to see it. I keep my ‘collections’ hidden with the obvious exception of my books.
- I am lazy. Even when I’m busy, I’m lazy. I do what I want when I want. I’m not slothful; I am productive. I am just lazy about doing what I should do.
- I finally feel like an adult. After twenty-one years of mothering, I no longer feel like I’m ‘playing house.’.
- I’m a lousy executor. I can plan beautifully and even realistically, but regardless of the feasibility, I am terrible at executing the plan.
- I am selfish. I thought by the time I had grown children I’d be less selfish. I’m not. Maybe by the time I’m eighty.
On the positive front…
- I may be extreme, but I know how to control it. The Lord has been good to teach me to reign in my natural tendencies. I give in too often– either purging everything unnecessary from my life or tending to buy everything related to a project rather than just what I need for a single project. However, I’ve grown amazingly in this area and moderation is now more of a norm than the exception.
- The Lord who parted the Red Sea delivering the Israelites from the Egyptians and fed five thousand with a small basket of food and had baskets of leftovers is my Lord. If He can perform those miracles, He can perform one in me. I’m just waiting for my miracle.
- I may be an adult, but I haven’t lost my child-like love of simple things. I love to watch a dandelion as I blow the seeds into the wind. I love to watch dust dance in a shaft of sunlight, and I love laughing at things that no one else understands. Some might not consider that a positive, but I do.
- I think an execution problem is not so good, so I have simply learned not to waste time over-organizing. Time saving- Excellent!
- I am selfish. I am, but the good news is that I’m less selfish than I was when I was born, five, ten, fifteen, twenty, twenty-five, thirty, thirty-five… thirty eight and three hundred sixty-four days…
Regardless of my flaws and failings, I am the child of the King. I walk with the King- hallelujah! Isn’t that what it’s all about? I mean, yes, being diligent, selfless, organized, mature, moderate, and responsibly productive are good things, but they mean nothing if I am not in the palm of the Lord’s hand. I’m just thankful for the Lord and His covering of all my flaws.
Or, how to put a car in your mouth.
Buy this picture or similar ones from istockphoto.com
When I was born, I had a cleft palate. I was one of the fortunate children who didn’t have a cleft lip too (less surgery/severe). Apparently, this left me susceptible to infection because I learned a few years ago that I lived on antibiotics for the first 18 months of my life. Strike one for my poor teeth.
When I was three, my mom got a full set of dentures. Strike two for me… heredity and such.
I had a baby when I was seventeen. Strike three.
My first encounter with a dentist was when I was eighteen. My jaw was broken and he was trying to decide whether to wire my jaw shut himself or have it done when I got home. He waited. Jaw broken and wired shut for six weeks= strike four.
I managed to scrape through the wired shut thing without a cavity. I didn’t get my first one until I was 22 and pregnant with my fourth child. Strikes five, six, and seven (in baseball, I’d have been out hours ago.) That was my first real encounter with a dentist doing dental work. Let’s just say that it’s a good thing I know not all dentists are jerks with their heads lost in their armpits.
After I had Jenna (strike eight and nine now since Nolan was in the middle of it all), I noticed my jaw was “caving in” for lack of better description. Teeth were migrating, curving so that the upper teeth hit the side of the bottom tooth more than the top… I decided I wanted dentures. The dentist said, “Can’t do it… your mouth can’t support them. We have to save these teeth.” Strike ten. I spend thousands of dollars to “Save the teeth” and in six months, they’re crumbling. I learned a valuable lesson at that time. If I let my teeth rot, I get them for six years. If they work on them, they crumble in six months. Guess which option I chose? Strike eleven.
Now, people wonder why I didn’t go to a different dentist. I did. He wanted to save the teeth too. I heard it over and over. “You’re too young for dentures” (no one thought mom was too young!). Strike twelve.
Ethan and Lorna are born. Strikes thirteen and fourteen are on the map. I’ll never get to bat again with this average.
Time passes. Teeth crumble, I pull out the shards, they get worse and worse looking until they even bother me. (We all have our vanities but my teeth were never attractive to begin with so I really didn’t care). Fortunately, they RARELY hurt. It truly is a huge blessing that my mouth wasn’t painful 99% of the time. I’d have a day or three every other year or so but other than that, I was fine.
A couple of weeks ago, my last tooth that had an upper mate crumbled. This meant that there were now no two teeth together with which to masticate my food. Strike fifteen. Time to get serious.
I prayed. I went online, and I started looking. I spent hours reading, researching, and investigating. Finally, I took the plunge and made an appointment, online, with a dental group 90 miles away. They had everything I wanted. Digital x-rays (less radiation), an in house surgeon (everything done in one place), they seemed to do a lot of dentures, and best of all, they did dentures the way I wanted them done. I filled out the paperwork and everything on Saturday. Sunday morning I get a call to confirm my appointment. I didn’t know whether to be impressed or dismayed. Who confirms/makes appointments on a Sunday?
Friday morning, Kevin and I got up, got in the car, and went. I prayed like crazy. I had my HK and WS friends praying. It was crunch time. I needed someone to listen to me. That’s pretty much all I wanted– someone to listen.
We went to Target, bought a few things, and then headed over to the offices. I arrive… We’re 30 minutes early so we just sit there instead of trying to go anywhere else because what else are we going to do, y’know?
Once my name is called, they want to do x-rays first. Take me to the room… gal looks at my chart and says, “I can’t do the x-rays.”
I sighed. “Why?”
“It says you might be pregnant.”
Kevin is now visibly irritated and I am in my ‘deliberately patient mode’ (appropriate for the dr/dentist’s office, right?) “No, it says it is a possibility. I specifically added that I was not pg at the time I made the appointment, but because I’m of childbearing years and am married, I had to mark ‘yes’ where it says, ‘Are you pregnant or could you be’. I could be… but I’m not.”
She leads me up front. They want a Dr’s note saying I’m not pg before they’ll do X-rays. “We just drove 90 miles to consult here, and I am not getting a Dr’s note to say I am not pregnant. You ask if it’s a possibility on your website and I have to sign to say what I’m telling is true. I couldn’t put no when it is a possibility even though as of today, I can guarantee that I am NOT.” (I wanted to say, ‘Would you like to see my nasty pad as proof?’ but I wasn’t that far gone yet.)
We were frustrated and ready to walk by this point.
They decided to get the Dr’s input. He says give me the x-rays. (I liked him before I ever met him.)
They take digital x-rays and pictures of every “tooth” in my mouth. Gal says, “yes, you do need help.” (duh, ya think? hee hee)
At this point, we’re much more impressed. Seriously, they were amazing. All of the staff knew their business. Everyone wanted to know my history (figure out why my teeth are so bad) They all said, “Well, 18 months of antibiotics from birth alone will do this.”
The dentist walked in. Took one look at the x-rays, my mouth, back at the x-rays, asked my history, looked one more time and said,
“Definitely need to get those teeth out of there.”
SCORE
I said, “That’s what I want.”
He says, “You do?” (Relief on his face)
I said, “I’ve wanted them for years.”
He tells me the downside. He tells me that it’ll take time getting used to them. He tells me the process. Basically, they make a mold of your mouth, make the dentures, extract the teeth, shove the dentures in place all while you’re under general anesthesia, and then voila! You wake up with a very painful mouth and new set of teeth. Six to eight months later, after any and all adjustments that you want, they make an even better set of dentures that has taken gum shrinkage etc into account.
He calls to the other gal and tells her to get molds, tells the other gal to get xyz together, and looks at me. “Let’s get the broken ones out.”
They left the room, Kevin and I looked at each other in a bit of shock… and I said… “Let’s do it.”
So, I came home with eight fewer teeth… next Friday they’re doing a wax thing (I’m saying I’m getting a ‘wax job’) to double check alignment stuff… July 21 they’re removing the rest of my teeth and putting in the dentures the moment those teeth are out.
6-8 months later, I’ll be getting a “better” denture that is adjusted to any changes my mouth wanted.
Before he pulled out my teeth he looked at the palate again and said, “You’re going to have a really good suction there. You’ve got an advantage over a lot of people.”
This is opposite what we’d been told and his reasoning makes so much more sense. The other dentists didn’t want to even consider dentures. Either they let that cloud their judgment or they lied to me. Either way, this guy is certain I can support the dentures and that after I learn to use them, I’ll be satisfied with them as long as I am willing to put the work into learning to use my new “prosthetic”.
I’m good with that.
So, I get new teeth for my birthday this year to the tune of $8,000 dollars. I am praising the Lord for insurance or it’d be more like $14,000
20 Of My Favorite Things
1. Color-today, that’d be aqua
2. Dessert- today, that’d be berry cobbler
3. Smell- lemon clean…
4. Flower-lilacs..
5. Animal- dog
6. Month- November
7. Beverage-Orange Sunrise Smoothie from JIB… I miss them
8. Pair of shoes-the ones I don’t have to wear
9. Snack-Cheetos
10. Song-Wake Up Little Susie… until No Other Love comes on… and then after that maybe something by the Beach Boys…
11. Book-The Harvester… I think
12. Fruit-Strawberries
13. Hairstyle-Soft and flowy…
14. Piece of clothing- the one that I don’t notice I’m wearing… but I love that green shirt…
15. Store to clothes shop-Coldwater Creek
16. Season-Spring
17. Hobby-Paper crafting… today anyway
18. Thing to collect- I really want to collect Waldorf dolls and toys… but I don’t “do” collections.
19. Movie-Persuasion until tomorrow anyway.
20. Restaurant-I’d like to find out if it’s The Grape Leaf or not.
I got the idea from this website…
Convicted Inspired.
I opted for the um… “positive” version. While I don’t want to “Pollyanna-ize” my life, I do want to recognize that I’m just as vulnerable to discouragement as the next person and I don’t need to add to the valid burdens in my life with extraneous ones that may or may not be beneficial.
So, I was working on editing another one of my books. I do that from time to time… and it happens to be one that “gets me” every time. I almost envy the main character. Overnight her memory is wiped clear and she knows nothing of herself, her family (the part I wouldn’t want) or her friends and surroundings. Everything is a beginning- fresh. It is the epitome of Anne Shirley’s epiphany- “Tomorrow is fresh with no mistakes in it.” There aren’t even any memories of yesterday’s mistakes. What a dream.
This character wakes up, discovers who she is, and doesn’t like what she sees. She can find little in who she is to respect so she changes. She doesn’t want to be a bad housekeeper, so she begins to take care of the house, improves it, etc.. She doesn’t like how slovenly she is, so she changes it. She sees the person in the mirror and doesn’t like what she sees so she makes the changes necessary to lose excess weight, take care of her appearance, find clothing that fits etc. In every area of her life, she makes changes, sometimes not realizing it until another person tells her yet again, just how different she is now.
Could I do it? Could I wake up one morning and work hard, all day long, not doing what “needs to be done” or “going along with the normal flow” but truly living the life I want regardless of whether it’s normal for me? Could I make radical changes in my life to reflect what I want it to be rather than what it is? (note the “my life” rather than the “our lives”… I don’t want to put my family through the roller coaster of what is or isn’t “me”) . I don’t know but I’m very tempted to try it. I am strongly tempted to try it. I’ve almost decided to do it.
But I wonder… is the true me the one that comes naturally or is the true me the one who is inside struggling to get out?
And is it a little weird that I am inspired and … sigh… convicted by one of my “imaginary friends” in one of my many unedited novels?
I found this on Hindsfeet’s blog and thought I’d do it too. It seemed fun!
Just boldface the items that you HAVE done, and leave the rest normal….
1. Started your own blog
2. Slept under the stars
3. Played in a band
4. Visited Hawaii
5. Watched a meteor shower
6. Given more than you can afford to charity
7. Been to Disneyland/world
8. Climbed a mountain.
9. Held a praying mantis
10. Sang a solo
11. Bungee jumped
12. Visited Paris
13. Watched a lightning storm at sea
14. Taught yourself an art from scratch
15. Adopted a child
16. Had food poisoning
17. Walked to the top of the Statue of Liberty
18. Grown your own vegetables
19. Seen the Mona Lisa in France
20. Slept on an overnight train
21. Had a pillow fight
22. Hitchhiked
23. Taken a sick day when you weren’t ill.
24. Built a snow fort
25. Held a lamb
26. Gone skinny dipping (does when I was 3 count?)
27. Run a marathon.
28. Ridden in a gondola in Venice
29 Seen a total eclipse
30. Watched a sunrise or sunset
31. Hit a home run
32. Been on a cruise
33 Seen Niagara Falls in person
34. Visited the birthplace of your ancestors
35. Seen an Amish community
36. Taught yourself a new language
37. Had enough money to be truly satisfied
38. Seen the Leaning Tower of Pisa in person
39. Gone rock climbing
40. Seen Michelangelo’s David
41. Sung Karaoke
42. Seen Old Faithful geyser erupt
43. Bought a stranger a meal in a restaurant
44. Visited Africa
45 Walked on a beach by moonlight
46. Been transported in an ambulance
47. Had your portrait painted
48. Gone deep sea fishing
49. Seen the Sistine Chapel in person
50. Been to the top of the Eiffel Tower in Paris
51. Gone scuba diving or snorkeling
52. Kissed in the rain
53. Played in the mud
54. Gone to a drive-in theater
55. Been in a movie
56. Visited the Great Wall of China
57. Started a business
58. Taken a martial arts class
59. Visited Russia
60 Served at a soup kitchen
61. Sold Girl Scout Cookies
62. Gone whale watching
63. Gotten flowers for no reason
64 Donated blood, platelets, or plasma
65. Gone sky diving
66. Visited a Nazi Concentration Camp.
67 Bounced a check (certainly not knowingly!)
68. Flown in a helicopter (Kevin and Jenna have!)
69. Saved a favorite childhood toy (I did but it was tossed for me.)
70. Visited the Lincoln Memorial
71. Eaten Caviar (I actually think I did but I’m not sure anymore. so long ago..
72. Pieced a quilt
73. Stood in Times Square
74. Toured the Everglades
75. Been fired from a job
76. Seen the changing of the guards in London
77. Broken a bone (Just two toes twice and a nose twice… never a cast)
78. Been on a speeding motorcycle
79 Seen the Grand Canyon in person
80. Published a book
81. Visited the Vatican
82. Bought a brand new car
83. Walked in Jerusalem
84. Had your picture in the paper. (I heard we did when I graduated but I never saw it.)
85. Read the entire Bible
86. Visited the White House
87. Killed and prepared an animal for eating
88. Had chickenpox
89. Saved someone’s life
90. Sat on a jury
91. Met someone famous
92. Joined a book club
93. Lost a loved one
94. Had a baby (ummm yeah. Definitely that one)
95. Seen the Alamo in person
96. Swam in the Great Salt Lake
97. Been involved in a lawsuit (gave a deposition…)
98. Owned a cell phone
99. Been stung by a bee
Wow… outside of the “outside the US” ones and a couple of extreme sports type things, I’ve done much more in my life than I would have imagined. No wonder I feel so content!
I woke up irritable. Again.
I remembered the ‘old days’ when my friend Teresa and I would have a horrible day and go out for dinner, dessert, or some other escape. At just about that time, the phone rang. It was Teresa. She asked how my day was. I told her. She suggested an escape. How could I say no?
So as we reminiced about ‘old times’ we laughed at our trip to Denny’s when we weren’t served. They seated us, and twenty minutes later, we still didn’t have anyone coming to take our order. We couldn’t get the attention of the waitress, nothing! So, we finally got up and left. Went to dinner elsewhere and were cornered by one of the people and her children who had made our day so horrible in the first place! So, as soon as we could get out of there, we raced to Denny’s sure that we could at least get dessert.
We were seated. Again. We waited for service. Again. We waited. We waited. By this point what had been mildly amusing was hysterical. We laughed all the way out the door, and around town as we looked at Christmas lights and made up hillarious tales of us running away and our children chasing after us. It was fun and we were refreshed for the next day.
Tonight we went to Denny’s again. We had a great evening, got GREAT service, and had cake. We talked, relaxed, and I realized that I’d wake up tomorrow feeling ready to take on the day.
Great friends add so much to life. I am blessed.
I took a trip to the Post Office.
Yep. I did. People can rhapsodize about the ‘good old days’. Whether they mean way back in the 1800’s, early 1900’s, the beautiful and glamorous ’40s (or so says Hollywood), their own childhood… it doesn’t matter, I don’t long for those days.
Yes, there are things about those times that I admire and envy but with those good, comes so many ‘bad’. I don’t want the disease, the hard work, the uncertainty of life… I like our modern conveniences. I like that I’m not forced to accept them. I like that I can choose to use my wonderful gas heater, install a woodstove, or choose to shiver if I am so ridiculously crazy to do so. I can choose to make every gift we give, buy every gift we give, or choose not to give at all. I can shop in stores, from craft booths, or even garage sales. I can go online, buy for everyone, and not leave the comfort of my own chair.
I like that I can go to the post office on a Sunday afternoon, punch a few buttons, and voila! Shipped with no lines. Had I REALLY wanted to do it easily, I could have gone to the post office website, printed my own postage, and had the mail carrier take it away tomorrow..
I love the beauty of a life lived differently. I love to imagine myself willing to walk five miles to mail a letter that I hand wrote. I love the idea of going into my own woodlot, cutting down a tree, sawing it up, splitting it, and heating my home with it but you know what… I won’t do it. I’d do it for survival, but never by choice. So instead, I write about it and enjoy it by proxy. All the fun and beauty of it without any of the work. It’s beautiful. To me anyway.
So today, I appreciated my car, my electricity, my laptop, kiosks in the post office, grocery stores packed with food that I didn’t have to grow, harvest, can, freeze, or butcher. I loved picking up my gallons of milk that I didn’t have to hand milk, strain, scald pans, or scrub teats to get. I loved the wide variety of options that I would never have gotten from my own little homestead.
I thank the Lord for the twenty-first century. We have medical advancements that keep our children healthier than most centuries, our parents live to see their grandchildren, and lethal epidemics are few and far between. I love our comforts, our pleasures, and our ability to do so much more than any century yet.
Yet, I confess, I know that with these things comes a self-centeredness that I wonder if it is unique to us. Not that there hasn’t always been self-centeredness but that we have our own unique brand and I wonder what the long-term effects of it will be. Somehow, I think we need to be careful not to allow the blessings of today become the curses of tomorrow.
I’ll ponder that as I enjoy my internet, my automobile, my electricity, my natural gas, and the myriad of other modern conveniences and pray that the Lord shows me where I am using them to my or my family’s detriment.
God bless us one and all.
