Don't forget to floss

How can the feeling be the same as when your were seven as it is at forty one? I get it because it's me; I'm the same little kid just in a bigger body and with more stuff going on in the mind, but this one particular event has been the same every year(or 6 months) for my entire life and I find it amazing.

After my dentist has scraped and brushed and pricked I always get the same result and lucky for me it's always been a good one. I've done what I've supposed to have done which is brush in between meals and flossed; I brush after I eat any meal and floss religiously. As soon as that bib gets taken off and I get handed that toothbrush that same exact feeling comes rushing in: a sense of accomlisment and pride.

When I was little my dentist's office was inside his home which was only four houses, down a hill and around the corner away. Since it was so close by my mom let me go by myself, which was a huge enough deal on its own. The trip home was an even bigger joy, as I just couldn't wait to bust in the kitchen door and announce "no cavities!" I can see it now: my little red messy pigtails, huge smile on my face, out of breath from the sprint up the hill home and toothbrush clutched in hand. My mom was always in the kitchen waiting; waiting to give me that big hug and kiss- that held me for the rest of the day. I threw down the toothbrush on the counter and out to play I went, as content as any little kid could be.

The other day it was all the same except my dentist office is now in the office building across from my job and I strolled out the door and back into work instead of sprinting home. But I still couldn't wait to get in the door and tell the first person I saw "no cavititis!" The feeling of clutching that toothbrush and announcing my results is exactly the same as it was back when the only thing that matered in my world was winning at kickball, walking the dog, and getting that kiss goodnight from my parents.

It's funny sometimes, (actually a lot of times) I can totally feel what it was like when I was young and innocent. I'm so thankful my life experiences haven't shrouded my sense of simplicity from childhood. If anything they've only enriched them.