Is it ok to question, routinely, "Is this all there is in life?"
Some days, I'm sitting at the dental chair and thinking about how crazy life is that I'm using a drill to cut a hole in someone's tooth and filling it with some type of replacement material. How does this help me in understanding life and why "my time" on Earth is valuable?
Don't get me wrong...I've had many incredible experiences...being married...watching the miracle of birth of my three daughters...meeting so many wonderful people throughout my life...and...at the same time...I wonder if I'm the only person who questions what's it all about?
Some days I feel like I'm living some ridiculous scene from the movie, "Groundhog Day", where I'm basically doing the same thing over and over and over and I can't get to the next day. Other days I feel like I'm the "King of the World" and I know exactly what it is that I want and how to get there. I feel like my life can be summed up like "Mr. Toad's Wild Ride" at Disney World...with an endless array of twists and turns...some expected...most unexpected...that come at me from all directions...on my way to wherever.
What I really enjoy doing more than anything is helping other people...and I'm not just talking about fixing their teeth...I'm talking about helping them feel empowered to go beyond their self-imposed limitations and helping them reach new levels of awareness. ACE has helped me accomplish this in so many ways. This truly is a labor of love for me. I am more proud of this email network and the life that it's taken on than anything I've accomplished because it has allowed me...and all of you...to connect with each other. We all get to experience the good, the bad, the happiness & tragedy of each other's lives and whether we all want to admit it or not, WE ARE ALL FRIENDS!
What I really want is for the closeness of this group to continue to grow and to continually help others in need. Each new day brings different challenges to each of us on this group. Sometimes we can face those challenges and overcome them on our own. Other times, we need a little help from our friends.
Often times I think "If I died today, would my life have been worthwhile?" As long as my answer is "Yes" then I know I'm doing ok. Don't get me wrong...I want to live until I'm 120...but whatever is in store for me, I know that I acted more times than not on the opportunities that have been sent my way. Sometimes I didn't get the expected result. In fact, many times I really messed things up! But, I took away from each experience the knowledge of how not to do things and became stronger and better for having gone through the experience.
Life is short. Our timelines in the history of life amounts to nothing more that a speck. Why are we here? What will we leave behind?
What I really want is for ACE to become different that any other group out there. I want our group to really...truly...openly...care for one another. I want all of you and anyone who joins in the future to feel like ACE is where I can hang out with my friends and I can talk about anything (dentistry or life) at anytime and I know that I'll always get an honest answer. I want people to look back and see how this group nurtures people to accomplish their own personal definitions of success. We support you in your growth and help you achieve your goals...whatever they may be...in dentistry and life.
That's why I'm here and that's what I'd like to see happen.
Then, my answer to the question "Is this all there is in life?" will be, "Yes. And isn't it marvelous?"
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