A class every dental hygienist should take − 18 November, 2008
All dental hygienists should take a class called Storytelling 101. It would be most helpful for hygienists who do not know how to make interesting one-sided conversation, like my hygienist. I have given up even grunting to indicate I am listening as she rattles off the mundane details of her average life. Or so it would seem. Perhaps fascinating things happen to her. If so, then she lacks the ability or the imagination to plumb the depths for those good stories.
At first, I thought I did not like listening to her because I do not have kids, and all she talks about is her daughter’s Girl Scout activities and her son’s hockey. I thought that maybe if she were a friend and if I knew her kids, I would be more interested. But honestly, any friend who went on at such length about his or her children’s activities would bore me, too.
Then I realized the obvious. I have heard many wonderful stories about kids. Some have been hilarious. Others have been tragic, poignant, or awe-inspiring. So, it is really about story telling. In my hygienist’s world, apparently everything is mundane. She peppers her speech with phrases like, “It didn’t taste too bad,” and “That was kind of cool”. Nothing was fabulous, delicious, fascinating, exhilarating, awful, dreadful, or terrifying. There is no humor, no sadness, and no excitement.
What made it even more unbearable today was that, as I waited for my x-rays to come back, I began reading a fascinating article about spear-making chimps in the National Geographic. When the x-rays returned, the National Geographic laid open, unread, on my lap for half an hour as my hygienist droned on. Each time I thought she might be winding down, she would start up with something else.
Ah, well. I wish there were a polite way to tell her I would rather listen to a podcast!
At first, I thought I did not like listening to her because I do not have kids, and all she talks about is her daughter’s Girl Scout activities and her son’s hockey. I thought that maybe if she were a friend and if I knew her kids, I would be more interested. But honestly, any friend who went on at such length about his or her children’s activities would bore me, too.
Then I realized the obvious. I have heard many wonderful stories about kids. Some have been hilarious. Others have been tragic, poignant, or awe-inspiring. So, it is really about story telling. In my hygienist’s world, apparently everything is mundane. She peppers her speech with phrases like, “It didn’t taste too bad,” and “That was kind of cool”. Nothing was fabulous, delicious, fascinating, exhilarating, awful, dreadful, or terrifying. There is no humor, no sadness, and no excitement.
What made it even more unbearable today was that, as I waited for my x-rays to come back, I began reading a fascinating article about spear-making chimps in the National Geographic. When the x-rays returned, the National Geographic laid open, unread, on my lap for half an hour as my hygienist droned on. Each time I thought she might be winding down, she would start up with something else.
Ah, well. I wish there were a polite way to tell her I would rather listen to a podcast!
Comments:
intrepideddie (November 19, 2008. 02:49am)
They can talk all they want about whatever they want... just as long they don't expect me to respond while I have 3 dental instruments and a gloved hand in my mouth. I gotta say, though, I want to go to my son's dentist. He gets to wear goggles with little LCD screens in them so he can watch "Cars" or "Toy Story" or "Girls Gone Wild: Cancun."