The Good People Project II or how I ended up without a pie
If you have read my previous post, you know what the “Good People Project” is. If not, you are still about to meet one person who made my Thanksgiving possible this year!
Unfortunate things happen usually at the most unfortunate time. However, when you have the support and good will of good people, everything is possible! Today, around noon one of my braces’ brackets broke. 1.5″ of wire was sticking in my mouth aggravating my cheek. Last time this happened, it hurt like hell and swelled up. In other words, not the best thing to happen to you when :
a) tomorrow is Thanksgiving
b) your orthodontist is out of town
c) the doctor who covers for him closed for the week ( to be fair I eventually got in touch with him, but that was way after the issue was resolved, and the panic that I will spend my time till Monday dealing with this, subsided)
I admit, I was seriously freaking out to the point that I decided to cut the wire myself ( big mistake, did I mention?). When that didn’t help I remembered that if there is anyone who can save me in this situation it is my regular dentist. I called, almost in tears, and all they had to say was come right over. And that after one other orthodontist ( not mine or the substitute) turned me down because I am “not his patient”.
You know…it’s Thanksgiving and I think this is a wonderful time to share something like this.
We are so much in a hurry to “do it all”, so much in a hurry to “wrap it up”, so much in a hurry to “make it worth our time”…that some of us are missing the point of it all.
The cutting of the wire sticking in my mouth took exactly 2 minutes. The gratitude I have for this dentist will last forever. The truth is that sometimes things that cost us NOTHING and will barely take of our time are the most valuable, human and good things to do. Going the extra mile is all it takes to make the world a better place for everyone.
Did my dentist contribute to world peace today? No, probably not. But he sure made my day, not to mention my family’s day, since I won’t be crabby and I will cook up a storm tomorrow. That is why I started the Good People Project, because of small gestures, things that sometimes you would miss or miss the opportunity to do, but that mean a lot to someone somewhere.
That is how change happens, when every human being genuinely cares. Not because they have to, they are paid to or they are scared to, but because they just DO.
I am thankful that I had the opportunity on Thanksgiving to give my thanks by giving my Thanksgiving pie to someone who did the good, human thing everyone hopes to get for Thanksgiving. He gave me the gift of good will.
Thank you, Dr. Levine for being there for me, and not for the first time at that.