What’s the problem Colin? Just received a semi-legal letter enquiring into the basis of my fee on a particular case. Possibly not altogether unexpected but am I SERIOUSLY likely to have done three years’ work and not been expected to charge for it? Run that by me again? It’s not as if my stress levels were low to start with today.

Been to the dentist.

I’ve had an uneasy relationship with dentists since my youth when the first (?) one (for some reason) showed me all the various instruments he used. All the drills, prodding things, pliers and so on. Never known whether I was playing up or some such and this was a way of settling me down or what. I do know that, after telling Mum, we changed dentist very soon after… I was also one of those people who go to university and forget to see the dentist at all for a number of years. Suffice that it took a bit of work to get it all sorted and didn’t help with said relationship. Oh, and I’ve quite sensitive teeth and gums too.

Soooooooooooooo…

I get stress-y as the dental appointment looms not helped by an ulcer or two (from the stress?) on my gum and tongue and an impending deadline for a task for a client. So two and a half hours later including travel time, I’ve had a number of VERY long needles stuck into the gums – for a hygienist session. I’m grateful, please don’t get me wrong. There have been sessions in the past where they’ve had to scrape me off the ceiling during or after the proceedings so any alleviation is most welcome. But you DO still tense up and the cortisol (stress hormone, look it up) pumps round and round. And you’re stuck in the fight, flight or freeze response with no other option other than to stay where you bl00dy well are! So invariably it takes a few hours up to a day for all the stress to come out.

Had a positive though.

Had been running hard to get a document agreed and distributed with the person concerned leaving at 14.30 and me getting back from the dentist at 13.45. Updated document (I was aware I needed to do so) and resent it with 15 minutes to spare. Sense of elation. This has been (also) stressing me for some months now. And there’s no guarantee it will be acceptable to local government – but it is a place to start. That sense of warm fuzzies lasted all of thirty minutes before opening the letter put the mockers on everything again. Boy I must have been nasty in a previous life…   [caption id="attachment_4235" align="aligncenter" width="300"] In a previous life…[/caption]]]>