Brace Yourself: Orthodontist Chaos Strikes Again 🦷

Hello dear reader,

So I’ve just had another orthodontist situation (some of you may remember my last saga )

This time, we arrived for Levi’s appointment, in good time which is pretty much unheard of (Levi even commented on how unusual it is for us to arrive in time to park and walk in as opposed to the usual affair of me throwing him out the car and then finding a spot to park afterwards).

The appointment ended up being yesterday and we were a day late. 

I could literally feel the stress run through my body.

I was confused, adamant I was correct (who knows if I was, clearly, the system said otherwise). The lady on reception said she would see what she could do but our orthodontist wasn’t even in today.

We sat down and waited. Levi glared at me for being flappy. The Christmas music on the DAB radio was not having the desired effect.

I was thinking about all the time I was wasting. I was wanting to justify that I hadn’t got it wrong. I was mentally making a list of the stuff I had to do for work, for home, for goodness- knows-what, and the Christmas music was sending a loud and clear message that

a) I should be feeling chirpy

b) it was CHRISTMAS and so you should be ready. I am not ready.

The thing is dear reader, we’ve got to let things go.

In that moment, I needed to let go of the fact it was not going to plan (I did do this, it just took me a few minutes). But not just in that moment, in this season, things won’t go to plan, time will be lost, stolen even, and you won’t be able to do or be everything that you want to be.

You will have work that is left for the new year. You might be able to win best wrapped present award. Elf on the shelf might need to take a hike. You might need to choose what you are going to do with your time, what can wait, what needs to be 100% brilliant, and what just needs to get done. We’ve got to let go of expectations of ourselves that are unrealistic, of others that are unfair or not communicated, and we need to save ‘doing things perfectly’ for when it really matters. If we don’t, we’re heading sure-fire towards burnout.

We’ve got to choose, dear friend – being perfect and being burnt out, or being present and being in balance.

This is really hard. It’s a daily choice. But as we head into the madness of the Christmas period, that promises rest and joy and family connection (but often brings unmet expectations, exhaustion and disappointment, too) have a think about these four questions on a daily, or even moment by moment basis…

• What am I holding on to in this moment?

• Is it serving me, or holding me back?

• Are the expectations I have of myself something I would expect of someone else?

• Is this a time for perfection, for just doing a good job, or for not even doing it at all?

None of this is easy. But none of us have unending time, or perfect lives. All of us have curve balls (some of us seem to attract them), and our days rarely pan out as we think they will.

Let. It. Go.

Your future self will thank you for choosing to step off the perfection/ expectation/ people-pleasing bandwagon.

Oh. End of the story at the orthodontist. Like a Christmas miracle, someone didn’t turn up for their appointment so they were able to see Levi. One more appointment, and all three of my boys will be brace free and the poor orthodontic receptionist will be free of me for life.

Love,

Hannah x