Today was a great day.
I rose early this morning for a dental appointment. I gotta say, it was the best dental visit I’ve ever had, or ever could imagine having, in my life.
I walk into the office and was greeted by two vibrant ethnic receptionists with the most spell bounding smiles. They literally infused me with their joy. I sheepishly smiled back, and explained that I had an appointment for 1030 with my two sisters and that I was a few minutes early. They told me they were expecting me and to have a seat- but boy, I really felt like they were expecting me, like they were glad to see me. It made me feel good!
So I sat in the room and examined its contents. A beautiful painting stretched across the adjacent wall. It was obviously French… and my first thoughts were Monet or Van Gough or something. It had that vibrant color. It was an outdoor scene at a dark with ladies and gentlemen drinking spirits on cobblestone pavers under broad trees in a park. It was beautiful. But that was just to start. They had elaborate crown molding, and walls that were covered in a classy textured paint that looked sun bleached. It was brownish.. or goldish.. or yellowish. It was pretty. The furniture looked like it should’ve been in one of the newport mansions. Plush love seats, chairs that looked like throwns, and a tables that were stained solid mahogany with elaborate finishings on the legs. To top it off… I realized that my heart was swaying to the magnificent music I was hearing… Handel! The baroque melodies melted me away as I sunk into the chair. Truly amazing dental experience. Did I mention that everyone was beautiful?
Then there was the hygienist… probably the nicest person I’ve ever met. I think she was native South African. Beautiful. So nice. Constantly asking me how I was, smiling, giving me detailed accounts of what I was going to expect… xrays, an examination and such. So nice. The Doctor, or dentist, was even nicer. He spoke slowly, articulating every word as he looked me in the eye. He chose his words very carefully as to convey a clear, relatable message, uniquely for me… or it felt that way anyway. All I remember was him saying something along the lines of “My job is to give you knowledge about yourself. You can then take this knowledge where ever you go with confidence. You can use this knowledge to make decisions that are best for you.” He said “I can only give you this knowledge. You have known yourself alot longer than me, so I am not in a place to tell you how to use it.” My God. Probably the most empowering words I’ve heard from anyone in a long time… Let alone my DENTIST! HA! I was blown away. Knowledge about my teeth! Who could’ve known that I felt so empowered upon acquiring that knowledge.. about my teeth. Anyway.
I had a single cavity 😦 Considering I haven’t been to the dentist in five years.
I did notice that there were books all about these dental rooms.. positive literature. I read a quote like this “A positive attitude makes for a positive life.” How true. I wanna go to the dentist every day to get those vibes. I want to grow to be a person who can instill that kind of comfort in another person.
William Dare 