Silly Putty & Promises

I bit innocently into the tuna fish sandwich and cracked my teeth on something jagged and hard, sending a small shockwave of pain into my jaw and causing me to yelp with surprise - when I spit, out came a filling but since it didn't hurt, I ignored it until I realized that my tongue would seek out the vacant rough spot every few seconds despite orders from my mind - and that did hurt. I considered the alternatives - the tooth is scheduled to be pulled in a couple of weeks, didn't seem much point in making a bridge loan dentist appointment. I thought maybe I could pack it with chewing gum and let it harden, creative but probably not terribly effective in the long run - then I thought of Silly Putty and wondered if it was toxic. In the end I discovered the dental equivalent - a soft substance that hardens with moisture, is tasteless, and best of all was right there on the drugstore shelf. Feeling smarter than the average bear, I followed the directions, rolled a small portion into a ball and then packed the tooth firmly and slid in my bridgework effortlessly. My tongue still wants to go there but all it finds is a smooth surface. I was, I admit, pretty well pleased with myself.

There are times when I think the world turns on band aid fixes - Silly Putty and duct tape, for instance - designed to bridge some kind of gap in the system and provide temporary relief - but fundamental problems aren't so easily solved. Like it or not, at some point the real issue is going to have to be confronted and a real solution is going to have to be uncovered, a fact the politicians (among others) refuse to acknowledge.

The doctor has solved his staffing problem by sending our second receptionist to our other office two days a week.

Two years ago he promised it would be temporary - a year ago he swore it would be only til the first of the year - and eight weeks ago, he assured her it would only be until our second nurse was back from maternity leave. All that has come and gone and she still travels the 120 miles every Tuesday and Thursday in an unreliable old Camry that just last night broke down and caused her (and her husband and her seven year old) to not get home until after midnight. Each time she talks with him about this, he has a new and compelling reason to go back on his word and while the reasons are legitimate enough, the fact is that in our common people's world, a promise is a promise. It shouldn't be given lightly or superficially and it should never be given if you have no intention of keeping it. If you routinely promise what you can't or choose not to deliver, you're planting the seeds of distrust and it makes no real difference that you almost meant it at the time - a con job, even when wrapped in ribbon and pretty words, is still a con job and a broken promise can't be mended by Silly Putty or duct tape.

If you give your word, stand by it. It may not matter to you, but it matters to someone else.