Image credit: By Edvard Munch – National Museum of Art, Architecture and Design, Public Domain
Most of us dread going to the dentist. The feeling of helplessness, anticipation of discomfort and pain… I had to have a procedure the other day. By the time I arrived at the dentist’s practice, I had worked myself up to a sweat. Disclaimer: I have a very good dentist. It is not him – it is all me!
Sitting in the dentist’s chair, my lips unnaturally stretched, drills and water pipes fighting for space in my mouth – I had an aha-moment. Sometimes life is absolutely awful – the only way through it is to accept where you are, know it will be over soon, breathe (not too deeply), and give yourself to the moment. It didn’t make the experience better, but it helped me to surrender to it, unclench my muscles, and endure.
Life is about those moments/stages where endurance is needed. Accept – this is happening – and breathe.