Don’t Forget to Smile!

One of Those Days

Ever have one of those days? The kind where everything seems to go wrong — from the smallest thing, like not having cream for your morning coffee, to another letter of rejection from an agent. Some disappointments are tiny. Others can crush your belief in yourself. I had one of those crushing moments last week.

Sitting on the deck after a tedious day of sending out queries to agents, staying in most of the day because of the air quality in Michigan due to the Canadian fires, and hoping the weekend would bring some relief, I reminded myself that I had a lot to be grateful for: my health, my family, it was summertime, and the weekend was starting in a few hours. And then the rug was pulled out from under me.

I woke up Friday looking forward to the weekend. My husband and I were going to a live concert on Saturday night. We hadn't been to a live concert in a long time, had purchased the tickets a few months ago, and thought it would be a good reprieve from the summer heat and the air quality outside.

We both had a full day on Friday and finished the day long after dinnertime. We opted to have a plate of nachos and a glass of wine because neither one of us wanted to cook. After pulling out the ingredients and pouring the wine, we discussed the long day we'd both had and sat down to relax.

I had a full plate of nachos before me, reached for a warm nacho with melted cheese, hot chiles, and salsa, and the world came to a halt. The front casing of my front tooth popped off. I immediately knew what had happened, as this had happened before and had been repaired less than a year ago.

Mortified, I rushed into the bathroom and looked in the mirror. Along with the casing, some of my front tooth was missing.

Calling the Dentist

After bursting into tears, calming down, and with no more appetite, I started to go through all of my friends in my head to see if anyone would want the concert tickets, as I wasn't about to go out in public with how my mouth appeared, and with a broken front tooth.

After consoling me, my husband encouraged me to try to get a good night's rest, call the dentist, and not make any decision about the tickets until Saturday, which is exactly what I did.

Saturday morning came, and I called the dentist, who immediately told me to come to the office Monday morning. He reassured me that I wouldn't have any pain, but if I did, call him right away, and he would address it.

My demeanor settled after I hung up the phone because I only had to wait about forty-eight hours until the nightmare would be over. In the meantime, I had been afraid to eat any solid food because I didn't want to injure my tooth any further, so I settled on plain yogurt and poached eggs.

What About the Concert

I pulled out the tickets and stared at them for a long time. I knew my husband really wanted to go, so I thought – am I going to let this broken tooth stop me from living? I think I can handle the concert if I keep my mouth closed, don't smile, and have no emotion. Got it!

Needless to say, Rick, my husband, seemed to be walking on eggshells, wondering if we were going to give the tickets away or not. I took a deep breath, went into the home office, and told him I thought I could handle the concert. With a sigh and a hug, I prepared myself for whatever the night brought.

Driving to the concert, we discussed where to park and what the easiest entrance to the event was. The parking lot looked full, so he dropped me off at the front doors. I walked inside the auditorium and immediately felt uneasy. So many people were walking to Will Call to pick up tickets, lining up in front of the doors, or grabbing something cold to drink.

As I watched the people come and go, no one noticed I had a problem. People meandered to the Box Office, concession stand, or waited until the doors opened. Relieved when I glanced to see Rick coming up the walk, I motioned to him, and we entered the waiting line with everyone else.

Once seated inside, I observed the many fans walking in to find their seats. Most were excited to be there, and then I peered over my shoulder to see a young person with a broken leg, a man in a wheelchair positioning himself on an aisle seat, and a veteran with an amputated arm. I thought, "I'm worried about a broken tooth?" I stopped feeling sorry for myself at that instant.

Lessons Learned

Someone always has it worse off than you. Every time you feel like life has blown up in front of you, take a deep breath and have gratitude for where you are in the moment. Look at life as a game where you can win. You can't win every time, but there are times you can conquer the day, or the morning, and get back to center.

Oh yes, I mentioned above that this tooth problem has happened before. Yes – last year, almost to the day, I attended a luncheon with some of my high school friends over on the other side of the state, near Detroit. I had lunch in front of me and was catching up on the current news when I bit into my egg salad sandwich and the front casing came off my tooth.

At the time, I didn't know it was the front casing, as I thought I lost my front tooth! I remember panicking inside, excusing myself to the ladies' room, and taking out a mirror to survey the damage. Noticing I didn't have a front casing on my front tooth, the only thought I had was "get home."

Looking back, I don't remember what excuse I used, but I do know I drove home in sheer panic mode, called my husband, who in turn called our dentist, and this time the tooth dilemma happened on Saturday. Luckily, my dentist fit me in the following Monday, repaired the tooth, and sent me on my way.

These teeth quandaries set me back a bit until I realized this is life. Everyone has ups and downs. Life can't always be perfect, and it can't be perfect every day. One has to jump and conquer the obstacles, whether big or small, and move forward to survive.

Those who know me well will know why I became terrified. Standing in front of people and students most of my life, I take pride in my appearance. So, when these two episodes occurred, of course, I panicked and felt the sky was falling.

But for those who don't know me yet, I'm still standing and back in one piece after Monday's visit to the dentist. And, of course, I'm still writing.

And the concert?  It ended with two standing ovations, and it had been one of the best concerts we’ve ever attended. And I’m so glad I put my fears in the back pocket and had the courage to go.

Keep writing!

Dianne

Enjoyed this post? Subscribe to the Delusion for honest stories from the query trenches — new posts every week or two, no spam, just real talk.