I've done something I thought I would never, ever do…
In fact, I wondered if this was something anyone would ever do.
What is the extraordinary feat?
Nothing less than sending a note to my dentist... full of praise and thanks.
Yes, you did read that right.
I praised and thanked the notoriously sadistic profession of dentistry.
How about that for a shock?!
The story begins with the unwelcome news that I had to have a wisdom tooth removed.
(No, these aren't my teeth, however wonderfully English - I just thought we should feature an appropriate picture!)
I duly put it off as long as possible…
But then booked the appointment, and looked forward to it as much as a trip to the guillotine.
The experience itself was "interesting", to say the least.
Try to relax, the dentist said…
Whilst producing a pair of pliers which might have been more suited to aircraft maintenance.
Shut your eyes, he advised, as, full of fear, I watched his every move.
That worked only up until I felt a pressure on my chest…
And looked to find him kneeling on it, as he tugged away at the offending tooth.
Anyway, enough of the horror show reenactment.
Because... and wait for it... wait for it...
Later that day, I realised the whole thing hadn’t actually been as bad as I'd feared.
The dentist in question had, in fairness, done his best to be as kind and gentle as possible.
So, with my mouth starting to heal, a strange idea came upon me…
And I wrote to thank him for his professionalism and consideration.
The reason I wanted to blog about the story is this:
We all know people who can’t handle difficult situations, and so hand out nothing but praise, even when it's not due.
Equally, there are those who do nothing but criticise, even if it's unfair.
Both become known as a certain type of person, rather than someone who observes, thinks and responds accordingly and fairly.
And for both, that greatly diminishes the credibility of what they have to say.
Summing up, it’s not just good practice as a human to offer praise where it’s due…
As well as the all too common criticisms and complaints.
If people who know you, and work with you, see that you're thoughtful and fair with everything you face…
Then what you have to say and write will always carry all the more credibility.
