Not my favorite day

Two days ago I was headed down Herndon Avenue around 10am on my way to my dental check up. Somewhere around Herndon between First and Fresno streets I saw an older white haired woman. She was wearing a dress and holding her purse while USING A WALKER. She was walking down a narrow very long dirt path very close and parallel to Herndon. I admired her spunk and determination to get all dressed up and take care of business even though she was using a walker!

Still, I did not feel right about this. I wanted to pull a u-turn to go back and talk to her, to make sure she was okay. I wanted to put her and her walker into my car and take her where she needed to go. However, I had an obligation to get to my dental appointment. But I kept thinking....should I have gone back to check on her? I've never picked up a stranger before. Is it okay to pick up a stranger if she is old and using a walker, going down a dirt path?? Would I have frightened her if I tried to approach her?

We pray every night that we will be in tune with the needs around us. Did I miss this opportunity? I will probably dream about this white haired lady. My eyes teared up just seeing her head down Herndon with her walker.

So, I get to my dentist's new office. He is now on the 3rd floor. Buildings don't get any taller than that around here. The surgery center on the main floor has been closed down so I see no one around. I get on the elevator. I don't like being on one alone. When I arrive in his office I ask his receptionist if they have had any trouble with the elevator. "No, why do you ask?", she says. I just like to know the histories of elevators. Dennis says I always ask. Perhaps this started when my friend Bev got stuck in an elevator in Chicago. Just hearing about her experience made me realize I didn't want that experience. The receptionist tells me that they have never had any trouble with this elevator.
Good, check that worry off my list.

I get my teeth cleaned. Then I am due for a full set of xrays. All is going well. In walks my dentist and asks me how I am and what I have been up to. I just want to get out of there, so I said, "I'm up to lots of things, now how are the xrays?" He said they look fine. Okay, so why does my dentist look worried and uncomfortable? Then he says, "I'm going to replace your bridge for you. I'm going to do that. Free of charge."

Huh?

I just had this bridge put in last July by him. So of course I ask him why? He said it is leaking and he can't leave it in that way. Someday I will be happy that he was such an honest man and told me that. Right then however I felt stunned. This is the same bridge that another dentist, who shall remain nameless on this blog, glued it on while he was watching the war on TV, 5 years ago. He forgot to put those little cotton rolls in my mouth to bite on and the bridge hung down out of place for 4 years....till this new dentist rescued me and put a new one in last July.

I said to my dentist, "You mean you have to do that bridge all over again?!" I asked if he thought he could get it off okay. He said, he didn't know, that it was going to be difficult since they are made not to come off. His assistant listening said, "Of course he can get it off, we do this all the time."

I walked out of there feeling discouraged. Yes I know, there are certainly worse things in this life.

I step on to the now trusted elevator. I press for floor #1 and the doors shut. Nothing happens. No noise, no movement, nothing. I tell myself to be patient, sometimes these things just take awhile. The doors remain shut. Okay, so here I am stuck in an elevator. So much for asking about past history. I look at the board with all the buttons. Hmmm, which one should I press? I have never been stuck in an elevator before so I had no clue. So I just started pressing buttons. I did not want to take time to think.

The door opened and I got out. What sounded like an alarm, was going off. No way was I getting back on that elevator so I took the stairs down the 3 flights. The annoying sounding alarm is still going off. I walk out the lobby and into my car and drive off still hearing the alarm. I don't know if I caused the alarm to go off or if it was a coincidence, or exactly what that loud noise was.
However, it seemed so reflective of my mood.