Fermenting
FERMENTING… to make turbulent; excite or agitate. This is the word of the day.
Do you ever go through your day and someone says something by chance, like a key word or phrase, that resonates with you? Yesterday, I went to the dentist for a check up. The classic question that always comes up when I go to the dentist or dental hygienist is, “do you floss?” Unfortunately, my answer is NO. I would often encourage the dental practitioners to lecture me on why to floss. And, so they did. I’d hear the hygienist’s arguments, pros and cons, but nothing seemed to stick until yesterday. The dentist said his 2-cents and convinced me to change. All that he said was, “the bacteria are fermenting between your teeth.” BLAH. The floss lecture continued with explaining why gums bleed and how it will alleviate itself within 6 days. That was reassuring. Honestly, knowing that something is FERMENTING in my mouth turned me right around. This morning, I flossed my teeth.
So, why even blog about fermenting? I am not about to share my personal hygiene habits to the world wide web without having some point to share that is meaningful. Let’s cross our fingers that what I am about to say is worthwhile… meh, I’m not worried. It is definitely something to consider. Lately, I feel fortunate to have the time to sit and ponder my life, my studies, and my way of being. Yes, this may seem like a midlife situation… and, it is… but, I am beginning to believe that not only are we in control of what we see… I am also convinced that our surroundings or experiences are sending us messages to learn from.
Does this sound creepy? It does to me. Yet, it seems to tie in so nicely to what I am experiencing right now. FERMENTING TEETH… yuck… pooey… do something about it. Get the information that you need and make a choice. To floss or not to floss? That was my question. And, I made a choice. I wanted something different for myself. I am motivated to changed and feel excited about it. I could have opted not to listen (as I did in previous appointments) or mull over it as a possibility (as I did from previous appointments, once again). By not enacting, nothing changes. As a result, I would end up reliving the floss-lecture over and over again at the dentist office until I learned from it… to better myself.
Here’s the lesson… you will be presented with the same things in your life repeatedly until you make the “right” choices in yourself to change what you see. That is a big lesson I am adhering to and attempting to be attuned to my surroundings so that I can make the “right” choices to move forward. I am fermenting. Not just in my mouth, but with my dissertation, my career, and my life. For example, last night I purchased a life jacket for paddling. This is a HUGE purchase (or investment) and I wanted to make sure I made the “right” choice. My head was in a spin last night… is this the right size, right colour, or should I just borrow one from a friend (… again). This morning, I proceeded with the head spin until I opted to go back to the sports store to try on some other life jackets. I felt some closure. I made the “right” purchase and absolutely confident I made the “right” choice. My head stopped spinning.
So, here is my advice. If you find yourself self-doubting… or if you find yourself hesitating because you can find a million reasons why “you can’t”… GO FOR IT. You never know, unless you try (how cliche). Question your false beliefs. And, if you screw up… no worries… that just means that it was not the “right” choice and there are an infinite number of other choices to make. When it feels good… not forced… and surprisingly unexpected… BINGO. The fermenting process has ceased. By not enacting, nothing will change and your thoughts will continue to persist. You have a choice. Check it out. You might be pleasantly surprised.