Friday, May 14, 2010

Returning to "Normal"

Three and a half years ago, I had a tooth pulled after a root canal went south. Ever since, I've had a sizable gap in the upper left side of my mouth from the missing molar. With the tooth gone, it didn't take long to get used to chewing everything on the right side of my mouth.

Over the years, my dentist talked to me about doing a dental implant. I kept putting him off, not out of fear of pain to my mouth, but rather fear of pain to my wallet. Those puppies are EXPENSIVE. However, last year I decided to have the implant.

In December we started the process and a couple of weeks ago, I had my final dentist appointment in this four-month long saga. Suddenly, my mouth is back to "normal," and I can once again chew on both sides of my mouth.

However, even though I know that it's normal to chew on both sides of my mouth, I find myself still chewing everything on the right side. The new tooth works great and feels like the real thing. But it's hard to break a three-and-a-half-year habit of chewing on only one side of my mouth. I had adapted well.

I know this is a weird transition (what can I say, it's the way my brain works!) but I was thinking about my daughter, Elizabeth, who in a about a week and a half, will be returning home after living in Russia for nine months. It's a good thing. It's an exciting thing. But returning to "normal" will probably take a little getting used to. She has a "new" normal. She has adapted.

So, for a while after she returns home, she might have to remind herself that it's okay to "chew on the left side." And, hopefully, all of us who love her, will remember to be patient and loving as she settles back in to a "normal" life in the good old U.S.A.

1 comment:

sister sheri said...

That is an excellent analogy. Blessings as you receive her home!