Grinnin' and Winnin'

I know it’s been a while since I wrote about my upcoming retirement, but there has been a slight glitch to my plan. Unfortunately, my caregivers are aging faster than I am. When my beloved dentist died, I went into a panic. We had been discussing the conditions of my aging teeth and gums. We were spending less time, simply because I didn’t have as many teeth to worry about. (Which is actually a worry in itself, I know.) So after the shock and grieving processes were over, I had to seriously consider whether total retirement could be achieved.

But the first problem I had was what to do about my less-than-beautiful-Hollywood smile. Finding new people to work on my teeth was more challenging than I thought. Sub-categories started to scare me. Gone was my beloved dentist. Entering into my life were “Oral Surgeons,” “Prosthodontists,” and “Periodontal Specialists.”  Yikes! Aside from being tongue-twisting, their impressive degrees sounded intimidating and expensive. However, I really didn’t want to look like the lady behind the counter at the drugstore. Lovely lady, but when she smiles her toothless grin, one can count the number of pearly whites in her mouth. To make a long story short and not bore you with the icky details, My less-than-stellar smile has been replaced with teeth even Jennifer Anniston would envy. That is the good news. The bad news is that it is removable.

So I dipped into my retirement fund and took a part-time job. I am now living on a fixed income, kind of, and I feel confident when I smile at co-workers. I’m inching closer to my goal of complete retirement, met a plethora of professional people, and am one of millions who depend on Social Security to fund my lifestyle. I’m still renewed.