We Have Work to Do

The Rev. Nancy E. Gossling

        I have never liked going to the dentist. And a few of them have been good friends. It’s just that while God blessed me with an infectious smile, the teeth in my mouth have often given me problems. I don’t like pain, and drilling my teeth gets on my nerves, pun intended. As I’ve aged, I have noticed creeping crookedness in my teeth and stains that have accumulated over the years. My enamel has weakened. When I began to have some gum disease many years ago, I was introduced to a periodontist. Dental floss, toothbrushes, and novacaine have been my best friends ever since. 

Too much information? I thought that my mouth, filled with silver, gold, and porcelain crowns, would protect me from more dental work. This week I discovered that I was wrong. Despite my daily care, I learned that I needed to have a root canal and another crown. So yesterday I spent  two hours in my favorite dentist’s chair. After my root canals (didn’t know I had three of them in this one tooth) I learned that I also needed some gum surgery before I could get my new crown! I was miserable with all that news. 

     Mary Oliver knew what to do when she was miserable. She would go down to the shore.

Life is a series of ebbs and flows, isn’t it? If I’m on the Cape, the ocean reminds me of this truth. When I’m in the city, I see a helicopter negotiate heavy winds in order to land on the roof of Massachusetts General Hospital. I remind myself that my misery is just a tooth. It’s not a crisis. It could be worse. In fact, it could be so much worse, doncha know? And like our country, I need some new infrastructure. Not cheap but worth it.

Mary Oliver, nature, and the work of first responders, even dentists, always give me new perspectives. Whether I’m on the shore or in the city, “Excuse me,” the Spirit says to me in Her lovely voice. “We have work to do.” Yes, we do.

I Go Down to the Shore, by Mary Oliver

I go down to the shore in the morning

and depending on the hour the waves

are rolling in or moving out,

and I say, oh, I am miserable,

what shall —

what should I do? And the sea says

in its lovely voice:

Excuse me, I have work to do.