Tuesday, January 06, 2009

Of Toothaches and True Love

I have an infected tooth, even though my dentist didn't exactly say so. He didn't say so even though the right side of my face feels as if it's on fire, and my upper and lower jaws ache, and my throat hurts when I swallow, and it feels like someone is shoving a fist through my head when I bite down on a french fry. Taking into consideration all of these facts, I decided to ask my dentist for an antibiotic this afternoon since he didn't offer me one. And, well, Vicodin for the pain. That he offered. And that I accepted willingly and with so much grace it would embarrass you.

Something very odd happens to me when I suffer from excruciating pain. I become really pleasant. It doesn't matter that I can't really focus my eyes on anything. Or that I can't do my job very well. What matters is that I'll be extremely pleasant while not functioning as a human being. And I think that counts for something.

Being in pain also makes me love my husband very much. Here's a photo and some words to prove it.



I took this photo of My Mater the day I took the fog photos in an earlier post. Just look at how strong and tough he looks. Don't you wish you had a man who could wrangle all that firewood with only his bare hands and a hydraulic wood splitter? Okay, maybe you do have a man like that. If you're a woman, I mean.

But maybe you don't have a man like this. Last night I was in bed, and he said, "You look so beautiful lying there." He said I was glowing. I resisted the urge to ask if I was running a fever, and instead I smiled and my soul opened up like a flower.

8 comments:

Marchelle said...

Ok, that kinda makes me tear up a little bit! 'Cause I never see that side of him you know - just the ornery uncle who likes to give you hell!

Anonymous said...

You're very lucky; I'm 37 & after 20 years of meeting unsuitable men I would love to have what you have & not just be really hoping that he's out there somewhere (probably not chopping wood - this is Brighton after all)I want a wood chopper!

PS - Respect with the tooth; I'm a complete cow when in pain)

Pastor Larry said...

He is a lucky m an :-)

KingOfPain said...

Aw, I'm sorry you're hurting. Odd that you are pleasant when in pain. I become a sullen, obtuse, introverted bear. I just want to be left alone, but then I'm a big baby, or so says Amy.
And who knew your hubs was a softy on the inside? That was really cool.

AK™ said...

awww

the happy married couple

:)

good luck with the tooth

Simon Butler said...

I’ll see if I can smuggle some opium over to you, though I risk the death penalty in doing so.

And yes, of course I wish I had a man who could wrangle all that firewood with only his bare hands and a hydraulic wood splitter. Does that make me sound lazy, or gay? Or both?

By the way, I hope you were making a deliberate play on words when you said ‘My Mater’ – ‘mater’ is Latin for ‘mother’. It sounds so Oedipal when you use it in that way.

Anonymous said...

I hope your tooth gets better. As for husbands, I totally understand. Mine I am madly in love with.

Before 10 said...

great post. i have a man like that too. we certainly are very lucky!
sucks about the tooth! I hate pain especially tooth pain.