Watch Out, Barracuda!

Last week I did something that many of you will not understand.  I paid a dentist to put braces on my teeth.  I must admit, it took a lot of soul searching and mouth pain to go there again.  These days, you don't end up with a mouth full of chrome, but you do still have a mouth full of hardware.

One day into wearing them, I wanted to go back and say, "Take them off!"  Of course, I didn't.  I've already paid for the six months of treatment, so that would be pretty stupid.  Plus, I haven't forgotten why I decided to do this at my age either.

Funny, when we're kids, we have little choice.  We get braces because our parents say so.  I was excited when I got them at age 11.  My best friend had them, and I felt like I was joining a special club.  Over the two years I wore those braces, many of my classmates joined that club.  At an age where being different frightened us, braces were NOT different.

At my age, wearing braces ARE different.

I keep telling myself, it's only for six months.  Once they're off, I'll get a permanent retainer behind my teeth, and I won't find myself in this boat again.  I just wish that the orthodontist of my youth had had told me to continue to wear my retainer at night. But who am I kidding?  Wearing a retainer, even if it is just at night, is not attractive.  I probably would have ignored the advice.

So, once again, I'm barracuda or barbwire, whichever nickname floats your boat.  I heard both of them alot as a kid.

How about you?  What have you done in your adult years, that you can't believe you agreed to, much less paid for?

Comments

Vonda Skelton said…
That's an easy one for me--it's when I paid someone to tell me my writing was a mess! (But it did get much better because of it!)

I need lower braces, but just can't cough it up right now--the money, not the braces! :-)
Valerie said…
What have I done that I can't believe? Scheduling myself for colonoscopies come to mind...
Paying for writer's conferences after being responsiable for producing and writing a college of business magizine for three years is what makes me say "dah" in my mature years. It's like the old saying of putting the cart before the horse.

However, I feel good about investing in self improvement even if there is pain in paying, pain in learning or pain for a beautiful smile.

Smile on, Barbara!
Paying 36K for two invetro fertilizations for three kids within 24 months. They live to drive me crazy! How is that for nuts!

Oh and recently I paid $400 for someone to stick me in the legs 100 times with a needle to shut down some veins that were probably doing good things for my circulation but they looked ugly. So stupid!
Yikes! I had no idea it cost that much for you to have your sweet kids. I'm sure they're worth every penny and then some.
Tibby said…
Hey, my daughter is 38 (although she doesn't admit it) and just finished with the Invisalign program. What a difference. Don't feel guilty about doing something for yourself!
Susan M. Boyer said…
Too many things to mention, though I don't recall paying cash money for any of them. Most of the things on my list required payment of a different sort--the kind of stress that turns one's hair gray. :)

Keep smiling, Babby. This too shall pass. :)

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