By Dennis Merritt Jones, DD
Don’t Wait… My Lesson From a Root Canal
When we have a toothache, we know that not having a toothache is happiness. But later, when we don’t have a toothache, we don’t treasure our non-toothache. Practicing mindfulness helps us learn to appreciate the well-being that is already there. ~ Thich Nhat Hanh
About six months ago, my dentist told me “Frankly, you need a root-canal and I strongly advise you don’t wait too long.” That’s when the aforementioned quote by Thich Nhat Hanh ricocheted through my mind. It all began one night when I was mindlessly chewing on a piece of ice and damaged the root system of my tooth. By my admission, because I am a wimp when it comes to dental work, I put off having the procedure done for about six months. During that time I discovered that constantly chewing on only one side of my mouth wasn’t the answer because it only created more pain in the jaw. Thich Nhat Hanh was spot on. I didn’t realize how much I missed using all of my teeth to chew until I couldn’t.
Isn’t it amazing how often we don’t take time to truly appreciate something until we no longer have it? When we are jaded, the tendency is to become complacent and slip into a “take life for granted” mode. This happens frequently in relationships and often with our material status but even more so with our physical well-being. It seems we get so enmeshed with “doing” life that we forget to stop, breathe into the moment, and appreciate how good we actually have it. The urgency to avoid pain or fear frequently gets our attention when we are caught up in the “doing-ness” of daily life. In the process of contending with the problem, we often overlook – or forget about – the more subtle blessings life is giving us in every holy instant. Perhaps today would be the perfect day to take some time out to practice mindfulness, gratitude, and self-inquiry around some of the things we believe make our life a life worth living – those things we may have been unknowingly taking for granted. As my dentist admonished, “Don’t wait too long.”
For starters, we can begin with our body and then expand our awareness:
- When was the last time we acknowledged and thanked our heart, liver, lungs, spleen, and stomach for the great jobs they do to keep us alive 24/7?
- How about our hands, fingers, feet, and toes – do we take them for granted? (Did you know we would fall flat on our face without our toes?)
- How about our eyes, teeth, sinuses and senses?
- When was the last time we smelled fresh brewed coffee or a special meal and looked forward to enjoying it?
- How about the roof over our heads … do we ever take our homes and its protection for granted?
- Then move on and contemplate, just for a moment, the relationships we have with family and friends that give deep meaning to our existence. We seldom stop to consider how empty our lives might feel without those relationships.
THE TAKEAWAY: There is no end to the well-being of which we can be mindful when we take time to be present and consciously witness our blessings. Don’t wait until we have a toothache to appreciate how good a non-toothache feels. Don’t wait until our co-worker has gone home to say “thanks for a great job.” Don’t wait until a loved one is no longer there to say, “I love you.”
In short, don’t wait until you have the time to be mindful. Every moment IS the time.
~ Peace, Dennis Merritt Jones, DD