I went for a long walk before
I went to the dentist. I needed
to escape from my head for a bit –
to let my thoughts soar
and let Life pour
all its Good into me.
I needed to take
a break
from the pain.
So I walked out of my head
and into the Consciousness
of Good surrounding
me, abounding
all around me.

Swans and ducks sat in a green
field by an old barn. The air
smelled of rain and life.
Children’s toys and bikes
sat in a driveway,
waiting to play.
Dogs wagged their tails
at me from inside their yard.

And I felt no pain at all while
I was there
outside my head.

So I stayed outside my head
when I went to the dentist.
And the dentist said:
“Healthy teeth. Long roots.
These aren’t going to fall
down during a storm.”

And I felt Love with us
as he filled in my long roots
and the crown on my tooth
and sent me home,
feeling no pain.

-Karen Molenaar Terrell
(Photo by Karen Molenaar Terrell.)