I went to the dentist the day before Halloween.
I didn’t eat that morning so that it would be easier to clean my teeth. However, the experience itself brought to mind the ancient practice of fasting before feasting, as if the shiny, sharp instruments had performed a purification rite before I rewarded myself with sweet, sugary treats. My hygienist was a priest. The chair transformed into a confessional booth, and my teeth revealed my sins of omission — particularly the sloth of my flossing habit.
As she washed away my toothy transgressions, the hygienist brought me up to date about her girls. I hadn’t realized that her youngest daughter was now in high school. She and her sisters are too old to trick-or-treat, but they enjoy passing out candy at the door.
At a pause in my cleaning, I asked if she passed out toothbrushes on Halloween.
She exclaimed, “Lord, wouldn’t that be a terrible disappointment to the kids?!” Indeed, have mercy on these misguided, yet well-intentioned, souls.
I received absolution from the dentist, promised to strive for more discipline in my daily dental habits, and happily went on my way with a clear conscience and, thanks be, no cavities.
Andrew Taylor-Troutman is the author of “Little Big Moments,” a collection of mini-essays about parenting, and “Tigers, Mice & Strawberries: Poems.” Both titles are available most anywhere books are sold online. Taylor-Troutman lives in Chapel Hill where he serves as pastor of Chapel in the Pines Presbyterian Church and occasionally stumbles upon the wondrous while in search of his next cup of coffee.
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