Root Canal

I went to the dentist yesterday and got the news! I have a dead tooth and a dying tooth. He asked me if I had ever had trauma to the teeth. "Well, let me think...." In second grade I got hit in the mouth by an 8th grader and it chipped the front right. The one next to it was pushed back a bit when my face and the back of someone's head collided. I cannot remember who. I do not recall when. It is all part of my distant past, a time I refer to as "my youth."

So I found myself pondering many things:

• First of all, "Seriously, a forty five year old trauma killed my tooth? Is there not like a statute of limitation on trauma induced tooth death?"
• Secondly, "Root canal, isn't that one of the images comedians use in their stand up acts to indicate the worst thing? It seems like root canal is synymous with pain.
• Thirdly, how much is this going to cost me? (answer, a whole lot)
• Lastly, pondering my weekly schedule, I just wondered about when I could find time to do all this.

As I sat in the chair all of this was swirling through my mind. I also realized that this is a result of mortality. I am dying in slow motion. A couple of teeth at a time.

Life is a series of losses and gains. We change jobs and we move. Or we keep our jobs and stay put but other people go. New people show up and some become friends. Friends leave and become memories. All the events have impact on us.  Sometimes it takes a very long time for the consequences to be manifest. A blow to the mouth half a century ago will impact my time, my wallet and it will probably not be totally pain free. It makes me realize how significant small things can be. Fortunately, I have the money to pay for it and when it is done my mouth will have teeth in it. Still, it is amazing to think the connections in our lives. It makes me want to avoid inflicting any trauma on others. I also wonder about emotional traumas from my youth. Are they manifesting themselves now, too? In light of that, I need to be real careful about how I treat people!