My daughter can light up a room with her laugh. Today, she lit up a dentist office.
After a hard day at school, my daughter got schlepped over to the local dentist for a cleaning. She was a bit apprehensive during the drive over, but once we were inside, she was in good spirits. Her enthusiasm came from her basic curiosity about the office: the tools the hygienist used, the chair she sat in (which she dubbed a “rocket ship” when the hygienist operated it), and the little knick-knacks of floss and tooth paste she received for being a good girl.
But it was her laugh that captured everyone’s attention.
After the hygienist poked around my daughter’s mouth with a mirror, she began brushing my daughter’s teeth with an electric toothbrush. My daughter’s reaction was bubbly laughter. The toothbrush tickled.
Heads started appearing around corners from all over the office. The dentist. Other hygienists. Even some passing customers.
Laughter? In a dentist’s office? With no nitrous oxide? People wanted to know more.
“Precious!” “What a pretty little girl!” “Will you listen to that laugh?”
I was incredibly proud of her and did my best to tell her so. What I’m realizing now as I type this is that my daughter brought joy to the office today. That’s an invaluable gift, one that is truly from God. And to a dentist’s office? Uncanny.
I think she taught me something today.
Learning Together 