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Thank You CMHA for Cleaning my Teeth.

Teeth, a very important part of our bodies. I am sure we all have memories of going to the dentist when we were kids. If I remember correctly, I was always a little frightened before going to the dentist, but I have fond memories of sitting in the dentist's chair and my favorite part of getting my teeth cleaned was always the fluoride. I know that times have changed, but still the fluoride is my favorite part of getting my teeth cleaned. I am sitting here trying to think of some kind of metaphor that applies to life and relate it to the dentist, but the only thing that is coming to me is the appreciation I always feel afterwards. I think I found it, we live in a crazy world or at least we like to think we do as adults. As kids growing up, we always used to hear our parents say things like "When I was a kid, things were so much simpler," and "You kids these days have it so easy, with all the technology you have now, you barely have to work for anything!"

I admit that now I fall into the category of "You kids these days, with your smart phones and computers!" Yes times have changed, with the hyper connectivity even we adults don't appreciate that things are given to us now because we too are part of this culture. It makes me think sometimes if we should let go of the technologies that our kids grew up using? Obviously its not just their technology anymore, it's ours too. In the 1990's when very few people were "online" I could travel places without a phone. When I got to where I was going, they had something called a landline. In fact almost every home in the 1st world had landlines. These were telephones that were not digital or connected to the internet. When we traveled places, we were present where we were and where we were going! We didn't have to be connected to the internet 24/7. Our lives were simpler and filled with more joy. We connected to people in real life, face to face. There was no Facebook or YouTube and we actually used to watch movies on our televisions without Netflix.

For recreation we just belonged to the human race and we didn't have to go out of our way to find emotional release. In fact, the sun used to shine more and there were less wars and no Donald Trump. He was just some rich guy back them. People used to visit one another in their homes, and there was something called street hockey. We used to hang around at friends houses and watch TV and we didn't have phones to distract us. There was no such thing as texting, it wasn't invented yet. On the weekend we would go to our places of worship like we do now, but God was actually there.

I am not saying that God doesn't exist now, but because we were fully present in our own lives, God was fully present in our places of worship. I sometimes wonder what our kids would do in the world that we lived in as young adults and children? I think they would think they were on some other planet where there were no wars, and peace lived on this earth. I would think our kids would do very well in that kind of world. I am not saying technology is bad, but what I am saying is that we have forgotten how to live. Radio Head has a song "Fake Plastic Trees" on a very early album, and when in my 20's I heard that song for the first time, I pictured a phony world, where everything was manufactured. Fake sun, fake moon, fake stars, fake God, fake bodies, and fake everything.

What I am trying to say is, that when you grow older you begin to appreciate the things that keep you alive. This life won't last forever so remember to brush your teeth and comb your hair! This is Mike.

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