Life at the Academy

I’m at the dentist office for the second time this week. Typically, it’s a relatively calm place with the occasional cry of a toddler or a happy squeal of a child playing while waiting for his turn. Today seems to be a day of extremes. Soon after we arrived, a little girl was called back. She quickly turned around and ran back to the play area in the waiting room. As her mother carried her back, she was wailing loudly. I’m not sure if she was crying because she was scared or because she wanted to keep playing, but the crying lasted a long time. Soon after that, a woman came in with her daughter who looks to be around 8. This child had a huge smile on her face and seemed excited to be here. It didn’t take long to realize that this was a special child. As she danced around the waiting room making noises, I couldn’t help but smile at the joy she had. I kept thinking how happy her family must be to have that joy around them all of the time. I wanted to say something to her mother about how she brought some happiness to my day today, but was afraid the right words would escape me so I sat there watching the girl, taking in the happy noises that were coming from her, and smiled. I’m grateful for that little girl today.