A dentist’s chair is not a place you would imagine as a launch pad for flight, but it became just that for me yesterday afternoon.
I’d been putting off this particular visit to the dentist for…um…years.
There were 2 adjoining crowns in my mouth that were over 20 years old and needed to be redone. The expense and the thought of what I was sure would be an excruciating process had me avoiding it at every opportunity. My response was always “not yet,” but while flossing one night last week, one of those crowns came loose. It was decision time.
I made the appointment. Groan.
My nervous words to the dentist that morning were a hearty “I have SO been looking forward to this!” and he assured me that it wouldn’t be TOO bad. Crown removal is notoriously difficult. Often it has to be split in pieces and pried off, and there are needles and drills and pliers – oh my!
While the whirring and grinding caused a deafening rumble, and bits of porcelain flew everywhere, and my white-knuckled fingers gripped the arms of the reclining chair, I noticed that I had been tied into a knot of anxiety. My whole body was straining, even though I wasn’t experiencing any real pain. I focused on un-clenching my hands, and imagined comfort like a warm blanket covering me. I shifted my perspective to see my two tiny teeth in comparison to other, much bigger things.
I call this a “God’s eye view” (instead of a bird’s eye view), where I am up above my part of the world, looking down on a problem and seeing how small it actually is. There’s so much comfort in that!
I changed my focus to things that I wanted to think about: people I love, and plans for my next project, all the while imagining myself “above it all” in flight. So for a good portion of the rest of that drilling and chipping time I was peaceful. 2 temporary crowns are now in place, and I’m so RELIEVED the ordeal is over.
In so many of life’s circumstances, the only way out is to go through. A new perspective on this particular path made it easier…and maybe a “God’s eye view” can help you, too.
p.s. See that sketch above? A new painting of that perspective is in the works…stay tuned!
I’d been putting off this particular visit to the dentist for…um…years.
There were 2 adjoining crowns in my mouth that were over 20 years old and needed to be redone. The expense and the thought of what I was sure would be an excruciating process had me avoiding it at every opportunity. My response was always “not yet,” but while flossing one night last week, one of those crowns came loose. It was decision time.
I made the appointment. Groan.
My nervous words to the dentist that morning were a hearty “I have SO been looking forward to this!” and he assured me that it wouldn’t be TOO bad. Crown removal is notoriously difficult. Often it has to be split in pieces and pried off, and there are needles and drills and pliers – oh my!
While the whirring and grinding caused a deafening rumble, and bits of porcelain flew everywhere, and my white-knuckled fingers gripped the arms of the reclining chair, I noticed that I had been tied into a knot of anxiety. My whole body was straining, even though I wasn’t experiencing any real pain. I focused on un-clenching my hands, and imagined comfort like a warm blanket covering me. I shifted my perspective to see my two tiny teeth in comparison to other, much bigger things.
I call this a “God’s eye view” (instead of a bird’s eye view), where I am up above my part of the world, looking down on a problem and seeing how small it actually is. There’s so much comfort in that!
I changed my focus to things that I wanted to think about: people I love, and plans for my next project, all the while imagining myself “above it all” in flight. So for a good portion of the rest of that drilling and chipping time I was peaceful. 2 temporary crowns are now in place, and I’m so RELIEVED the ordeal is over.
In so many of life’s circumstances, the only way out is to go through. A new perspective on this particular path made it easier…and maybe a “God’s eye view” can help you, too.
p.s. See that sketch above? A new painting of that perspective is in the works…stay tuned!
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