I gleam with pleasure when praised by my dentist this morning. He said you are keeping these teeth in very good condition. I modestly refrained from acknowledging the praise (my mouth was open at the time). He then said: Are you seeing a hygenist on the side? as though accusing me of marital infidelity. No, I wasn’t, I hastened to reassure him. Well, they’re looking good, he added, as he reopened my mouth for another look. It reminded me of a time at the doctors a couple of years ago when I had gone in for a breathing complaint and I did some test to check for asthma and had to blow into a mask that registered my puff. After a moment looking at the gauge the doctor stepped back and said: Well! You have remarkable lungs! Again, I beamed with pride. Maybe it is that I never get any other praise from anyone else, maybe that’s why I beam with pride at praise from a dentist and a doctor. Ah well. Better than no praise at all, I suppose. They’ll put it on my tombstone. Admirable buccal hygiene and remarkable lungs.

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