Slept well last night. Just the right amount of coolness for a snuggly feeling in my quilt. I didn't hit the snooze button so I didn't oversleep. Shower water was just perfect. No need to fiddle around with the hot knob or the cold knob. Laundry was all done over the weekend so clean scrubs were all in a stack neatly. Kids took care of morning routines and breakfast themselves without drama. Looks like they left for school with plenty of time to spare too.
Light traffic today so I arrived with plenty of time before my first patient. Jackson left me a sweet "Happy Monday" voice mail. ( I sure married a cheerful guy!) I must have missed my phone ringing cause I was listening to K-Love radio station loudly.... Having my own worship singing session along with commuting is sublime!
The rest of the morning's happenings pretty much went like this.....
Here is the latest article for the BiDaily Sun Japanese newspaper...
* BTW, "Por" or "Paw" pronounced in Cantonese means "old lady" or "grandma".
Dear Diary…. I’m Such an Old
Dentist!
They say that you’re only as
old as you feel. They say that age is only a number.
Boy, I certainly felt old
today!
When I first started
practicing dentistry, I was often asked questions like, “How old are you?” and
“When did you graduate?” Those questions
really mean, “Are you even old enough to be my dentist? Can I trust you with
your hands in my mouth? Do you know what you’re doing? Am I your first
patient?”
While I found it slightly
embarrassed to answer those questions, I found myself laughing a bit and
answering, “Yes, I know, I look young for my age.” “Yes, it’s good to be Asian
and look young.” “Yes, you ARE my first
patient… for today.” And “I’m old enough to be your dentist; after all, 2
people call me mother!”
I haven’t kept track of
those types of questions as the years went by and so I didn't’ even notice that patients have stopped asking. It’s alright, I tell myself, I’m an experienced
dentist and it’s OK not to look young anymore! I’m fine with that. I’m not
going to start running out and getting injections to stay looking young!
Today, I was chatting with
one of my patients and as we are both mothers with kids around the same age, I
asked her how are things with the older son.
She said, “Can you believe it? We have to start looking at colleges this
year!” I almost fell off my chair.
Looking at colleges? I remember the first time he came in to my office; he was
so little that he didn't want to sit in my dental chair by himself. He had to
sit on Mommy’s lap as she sat in the chair. That was how I treated him when he
was 3 years old. As he grew older, he
was fine sitting in the chair by himself with Mommy sitting in the corner
reading a magazine. As he grew even older, Mommy was able to sit outside in the
waiting room comfortably with her magazine until he was finished. And now he’s
looking at colleges?
I've always said that part
of what I love about dentistry is that I get to be involved in my patient’s
lives on a regular basis. I get to meet their family, their co-workers, and
their friends. I also get to hear what’s
going on in their lives.
It’s all part of how life
is, I guess. As they get older, so do I.
It’s just that I wasn't ready to admit it early on a Monday morning!
