Well, there were two events marking this 14^th day of April.

The first was that I turned 61 years old.

Well there, I went ahead and said it … 61 years old, and, I guess that wasn’t so bad after all. Actually, turning 60 was monumental and way more traumatic for me.  So, time to move on, and, like I told a former coworker when she turned 60 on the 4^th of April, “now that we have reached that milestone, we will quietly mark the years going forward, but not celebrate ‘em.”  She agreed.

The second event was a trip to the dentist.

Actually, it was just a regular hygienist appointment and x-rays, with a quick peek at my choppers by Dr. Kelly. It was beautiful weather, so I could still salvage a walk and got a 2 ½ mile roundtrip done, then ran some errands, so all was not lost, plus no cavities or mischief going on inside my mouth, so that really made my day.

When Dr. Kelly walked into the room, he wished me a happy birthday, and, my response was “well thank you Dr. Kelly, but I guess another year older means I am getting long in the tooth.” “No Linda, not for a long time yet!” he laughed.  I probably beamed at his response because that affirmation raised my comfort level, since your teeth are good for about fifty years if you maintain them in primo condition, then the problems begin.  Your permanent teeth arrive by age twelve, and you spend the next 50 years grinding, chomping, biting, plus eating and drinking sugary stuff that doesn’t do those choppers any good either.

In conjunction with the upcoming Easter holiday, Trina, my hygienist, asked if I was a Peeps eater because they are bigtime sugar demons for teeth.  Well, nothing like a Debbie Downer just before the big Easter holiday, but, I told her I don’t do Peeps anymore, and she applauded that answer.

So, back to that expression of being “long in the tooth” which is a description you don’t hear about much in casual conversation, unless you are a horse trader and prone to peeling back a horse’s lips to check out his or her teeth. The more elongated that old nag’s teeth are, the older that horse is.  Sadly, that phenomenon happens to us humans too … as we age, our gums recede, gradually revealing more of the teeth, making them appear longer.

Hey, the tooth, er … truth, hurts sometimes!