I have a weird thing about teeth. I always have.
Some people are weird about eyes, I'm weird about teeth.
I dream probably twice a week that I have a tooth fall out in a social setting, in the middle of a crowd when I'm telling a story. I've asked professionals (well, okay, the interwebz) about this and their answers always vary. Some say it's anxiety, some say it's depression, some even say it's sexual frustration. My old man says it's because I'm a freaked out whack-job and I'm inclined to believe him.
So teeth have always been a hot-button issue of sorts for me. So when I came across this quote last week, it really resonated with me. Whether or not you're going through a breakup like I am, this quote surely will apply to something at some point in your life.
"My dentist once told me that letting go is like pulling a tooth. When it was pulled out, you're relieved, but how many times does your tongue run itself over the spot where the tooth once was? Probably a hundred times a day. Just because it wasn't hurting you doesn't mean you didn't notice it. It leaves a gap and sometimes you find yourself missing it terribly. It's going to take awhile - it takes time. Should you have kept the tooth? No, because it was causing you so much pain. Therefore, move on and let go."
(Found this on a Tumblr - not sure who or how to credit it.)
Call me crazy, but this might be one of the simplest yet most poignant comparisons I've ever read.
Your mind really does wander down a comfortable and familiar route of, "He and I should go here together - we both love live music". And then just as your tongue would be shocked to find that there's no tooth there anymore, your heart is shocked to remember that there's no "we" anymore. Over and over.
Soon enough though, you stop running your tongue over that spot because you just know it's gone. The same way that your mind eventually stops thinking of him as yours.
Luckily, for me, the hard part should be over soon. I should be getting back into a comfortable groove on my own, and learning to make myself my number one priority again.
Until then you'll catch me smiling. Just with one less tooth!
