ihath

“The silly goose went river rafting” tells me my dentist. I respond by saying “aha!”, What else am I going to say?, my mouth is wide open and I got various equipment stuck deep in my mouth. God bless him, my dentist, he always has an intriguing discussion with me right at the point when the only response I can give him is “Hmmm, bhem, ehm”. But this time was an out of the ordinary occasion. This was the first time that he sees me a bit late and all the equipment is not in order. He starts by apologizing to me, the dental assistant that usually works with him went river rafting and broke her arm in the process. She phoned him that morning to apologize for not being able to come to work. He explains to me that usually the dental assistant would have all equipment ready before my arrival but because of this last minute development the schedule fell into disarray and the schedule was delayed by about 10 minutes. I would like to tell him not to worry that I am not in a rush, but all I manage is a gentle nodding of my head which I hope conveys “I understand” message. He then proceeds to tell me how foolish his dental assistant is, how she always chooses to do silly things. This time she really went overboard. She went river rafting, half way through she fell off the raft and nearly drowned, luckily she was caught in some tree braches and was rescued. She got away with just a broken arm. My dentist hopes that the silly goose will learn her lesson and stop doing stupid things. When the dental work is done and I am finally able to close my mouth. I ask my dentist to guess what I am about to do in two days, as I am wiping my mouth. The dentist shakes his head, “I have no idea” he says. “I am going river rafting”, I reply. For the first time, I see my dentist get a sheepish look on his face. Usually, he is the embodiment of the self assured and serious man, there is a faint trace of a smile. After a few minutes of uncomfortable silence he finally asks me “So are you still going to go? Or did what I tell you scare you off?”. I tell him that he has given me something to think about and that I will tell him what I decide at a later point. In truth, I was a bit scared. The thought of nearly drowning and breaking my arm is not very appealing. I start thinking that maybe my encounter with the dentist is some sort of an omen, a message from beyond to warn me about not going river rafting. Should I go anyway? Should I cancel the trip and stay home that weekend?

A ship is safest when it’s tied to the harbor, but that is not what ships are for. I want an adventure; but, is it possible to have a safe adventure? Can I have an adventure without the risk of getting hurt?

As I stood besides the Thomson river getting ready to get on the raft. I could see the dentist standing there in his lab coat whispering in my ear: “Silly goose, silly goose, silly goose”. I wanted to turn around and get back into my car and drive home. Instead I went into the raft and secured a place right in the front.

The only way to describe the experience would be to say – exhilarating. I had the time of my life. When the two day trip was over I was shouting -- let’s do it again.

Just look at this picture and the expression on their faces. It says it all. This is a picture from the website of the rafting company that organized the trip.


Next time I have a tooth ache I will go to the dentist but ignore his advice on life matters.




Chocolates are bad for your teeth so be sure to have plenty each week. Got to keep those realistic dentists employed.

There is a way between voice and presence where information flows. In disciplined silence it opens. With wandering talk it closes. .... Rumi