i was brushing my retainer with a disposable brush at dr. meyer’s office, which is something i’ve done hundreds of times before. as i’m doing so, a kid with a my little pony plush comes and does the same thing with his retainer. if i were to guess, he had to be 10 years old max. when i was done, i retreated to the waiting room. a few seconds later, the kid follows. dr. meyer calls him up to the next room over to give him a final check up to end his appointment. i overhear dr. meyer telling the kid that his friend (the plush) just had his first dental cleaning. moments later, dr. meyer tightens my retainer and fills me in on his plans for the weekend which include going to vancouver and attending a beer festival in seattle. as i leave, ms. kathy and ms. jackie tell me how much i’ve grown and how they remembered me as the 12 year old who came in their office over a decade ago with crooked teeth. it’s unbelievable they still remember me, but when i look at things from a broader perspective, they’ve known me for over half my life. when i walked out, i saw the kid with his plush getting into his car with his parents. i thought of how that used to be me 14 years ago.
oh how times have changed.
-ratha, 4:24pm, 5.15.19