1st Sept 2023 1 min read
By chance, my friend and I were looking through some old photos
Memories flooded back
A picture of grim me
Unsmiling, pensive, and almost suspicious in all the shots
Of the unspoken requirements to attain excellent grades, social skills, and extracurricular activities
Of which I scored none
Pressured by the confusion of growing up, the need for good grades, competition, and expectations of societal mores
I drifted almost precariously
But by the luck of the times and quiet dreams
And as Providence would have it
I entered the course of my liking
By the skin of my teeth
The choice influenced by my peers
40 years, I am thankful to be in the industry that I have chosen
And I must credit myself for learning to love what I have committed to
To roll with the punches of the changes that were quite remarkable
Today I love my job with its extensive knowledge, amazing tools, and new skills
That is ever-evolving and getting progressive with the times
Dealing a death blow to fear for my patients
And making them more beautiful, confident, and free from pain
Any trade, if you love it and indulge in it, it will love you back
I smile again, yearning for more knowledge and becoming more trusting
In the fact that things just get better and more innovative for mankind
Life is uncertain anyway
But by giving your best, believing in yourself, and staying resolute
It will make your goal attainable and your journey markedly pleasant.
Beautifully written and with a picture that speaks a thousand words. A pose of a determined person patiently seeking to achieve the dream of your life and realise that dentistry is your passion afterall. That pose also revealed your potential to make a good military commander to instill discipline military style. Well done, keep it up.
So you have been practising dentistry for 40 yrs till now, a choice of study first influenced by your peers but for which you have come to love it more and more each day , having committed yourself to it in the very beginning.
So it was first a matter of the mind, for which your heart then chose to follow. Although the reverse seems to be the natural case and order of things, that is, the heart has its reasons which the MIND cannot understand but just accepts.
Your job is noble and it helps people smile better, while relieving them of their tooth pain and to overcome their inferiority complex and become more confident and successful in life.
And in the process, you, yourself begin to smile more and more each day, even as you face life and its uncertainties, with confidence and poise and seek to overcome all challenges along the way, for no one can take your joys and freedom away, since your dream has now been awakened and the sky is the limit. Keep it up, well done Dr Rosalind.