Beautiful Monotony

  

Kneeling on the cool floor and gripping the chilly porcelain counteracted the heat and strain of my sweating face and lurching stomach. When my head wasn’t spinning this week from pain medicines gone awry I was gripping my jaw in a futile effort to rid it of the infection-induced stabs of agony. Contemplating my predicament from a fetal position gave me a renewed respect for others who suffer from much worse fates than dental problems and made me appreciate the ordinariness of middle ground.

   

A loose crown allowed one of my teeth with a partial root canal to become re-infected, requiring a complete job done on its other canals. Although not life threatening, it certainly demolished my pompous complacency. The added complication of resorting to prescription meds that my weak stomach couldn’t tolerate was my own fault, but the experience served as a reminder of how much others with life-threatening or chronic diseases have to face day in and day out. Even children are not immune. When the cure seems as bad as the condition, how do they work through it? With faith and hope, I guess. It certainly puts my complaints into better perspective.

   

A week ago I was ready to whine out a blog about how there is nothing to write about because life is so mundane from one day to the next. Ho hum and shame on me. Barring these last few days, my family is safe, healthy, untormented, comfortable, cared for, loved, and connected. Mundane is good. Mundane should be celebrated. A boring day is victorious! Who cares if my biggest bit of news is that we sat on the porch and read books on a sunny afternoon? There was no pain, no loss, no horror; just warmth, companionship, and gentle entertainment. I wish everyone a lifetime of such peaceful, boring, lovely days.