Recently, I had one of my front teeth surgically extracted.  Before I left the office, my dentist prepared a “flipper”.  This is a temporary, nearly undetectable dental appliance that serves as a replacement tooth for cosmetic purposes until the permanent implant can be installed. I was supposed to wear mine until November, when I’m scheduled to return for the implant.

I have many basic habits, such as eating the same breakfast every morning.  To facilitate keeping track of the flipper, I tried to establish a new habit. I would always keep the flipper in one of three places:

1. My mouth.
2. My pocket.
3. Next to my bathroom sink.

I tried this plan after a month of searching for the darned thing several times a day.  Often for hours.  I can’t begin to fully express my acute frustration with the flipper that always went missing.  I felt like Sisyphus, doomed to roll a large boulder up a hill, losing my grip near the top and having to start over again.  For eternity.  Yuck.

I lost my flipper almost every time I removed it from my mouth. You might not be surprised to learn that Daveen was far better at finding it than I was.

I had planned to write this week’s blog announcing how successful I had been in keeping track of the flipper for two weeks.  Hurrah for me.  But, as you know, pride goeth before a fall.

Sadly, as of today, I’m not able to report that I triumphed in establishing a new habit.

I have lost the flipper once again, this time perhaps for good.  Even Daveen hasn’t found it.  She suggested that I return to my dentist and ask him to make two of them.

I have a different idea.  I’m not going to replace it. That way I can end my constant irritation over losing it, since that is something I’m really talented at.

It is said that a habit is first a cobweb, then a cord, and finally a cable.  Maybe so.  But in this case I’m taking a short cut.

So those of you who see me smile before the middle of November, please just smile back.  Hopefully, with all of your teeth intact.

Alan

I’ve always wondered which I should pay more attention to in my life – the journey or reaching the destination.

Years ago I read a fantasy story in which the hero wanted his life to be just like a movie.  His wish was granted. Subsequently he experienced everything as a series of quick cuts. Each evening ended abruptly at the bedroom door, because in those days movies were infused with Victorian morals.

Once I tried to stop time.  If I had succeeded I suppose all of us would have been frozen in one moment forever, so no doubt you’ll be relieved to know that I failed.  Time kept moving right along.  Oh, well.  It was fun trying.

Most of us realize that when we’re bored, an hour seems interminably long.  But, when we’re engaged, an entire day seems to fly by.

I take pleasure in setting goals for myself, and even more pleasure in achieving them.  Seven or eight years ago I made a commitment to write this blog every week.  The process of conceiving, writing, and editing the blog takes several hours.  That’s the journey, and it’s fun. The final destination – emailing the finished blog for posting – takes an instant.  Brief, but also satisfying.

So for me the question answers itself.  For example, a wedding and reception may last three or four hours.  The “I now pronounce you” part takes only a few seconds.  I aim to enjoy the hours spent at the wedding, as well as the moment the happy couple arrives at “I do.”

I certainly find satisfaction in finishing a project, but yesterday I was transfixed by the fluttering shadows of leaves on my window as the sun gradually set. Sometimes it’s refreshing to slow down and pause en route to the finish line.

I hope that you are enjoying my blog while you are in the process of reading it. I’d like to believe that I’ve not only given you something interesting to think about today, but that your enjoyment will linger, even after you’re finished.

And I hope you thoroughly embrace your day. May you enjoy your journey as well as reaching your destinations.

Cheerio!

Alan

P.S.  This past week I enjoyed the Netflix movie Worth. You might find that the two hours you’ll spend watching this film is rewarding.

My mother told me that when I was only three years old, shortly after my younger brother was born, I began to put on extra weight.  On the day I graduated from high school, a “normal” healthy weight for my height would have been about 150 pounds. I weighed 207.

As I accepted my high school diploma I vowed to stop gaining weight.

Alas, for most of my life I remained on a “seafood” diet.  I see food, I eat it.  Ultimately, I ballooned to a high of 278 pounds.  That was twelve years ago.

At that point one of my children gave me the name of a nutritionist and told me that a friend had lost 70 pounds working with her.  That sounded good to me, especially since she did not include exercise as part of her program.  Just eating sensibly.

She made one small, but effective, suggestion to help me modify my dietary habits. For example, at lunch I should use just one slice of bread for my sandwich instead of the customary two (and skip the French fries or potato chips entirely).  Also, I could eat half of the sandwich at noon, and the remaining half in the late afternoon.  A second tip was to immediately order tea at a restaurant, rather than devouring six slices of sour dough bread before any other food even arrived.

Working with her over the following year I lost 75 pounds, and basically stayed in that range until COVID-19 arrived in March, 2020.

I’ve read reports that during the past 17 months of the pandemic the average American has gained 20 pounds.

But since I haven’t been eating at restaurants, or had dinner at a friend’s house for a year and a half, I’ve continued to control the size of my meals.  Yesterday, for example, my lunch was a small helping of tuna salad, with a desert of blackberries and raspberries.  No bread to accompany the tuna salad, and no sour cream or honey on the berries.

This morning my scale displayed 188 pounds, which is my lowest weight since I was a teenager.  Almost one-third of me has disappeared in the past twelve years.  (Friends say they have found the weight I lost.)

For lunch today I think I’ll splurge.  Maybe I’ll have a little more tuna salad than yesterday.  After all, I don’t want to vanish entirely.

Alan