There I was back at the dentist. This, the first of many future visits to fix a litany of issues.
I was beyond nervous, on the verge of a panic attack, and wondering if I’d have to tap out (before anything even began.)
I stared at the monitor attached to the ceiling — it was running some version of Windows.
I recalled seeing a behind-the-scenes video about the creation of the desktop image.
What looked like computer graphics was actually an elaborate production based in reality. Led by GMUNK, a team of 24 used lasers and smoke and a real cut out of the Windows logo to create the image (and some really excellent variants you can peruse on the Wikipedia page).
So there I am imagining myself in that room, amidst the smoke and lasers trying to be helpful while not being present in my current reality.
Then the monitor switched to an X-ray of my teeth.
I mentally stayed in that room with the smoke and lasers for as long as I could, and would return as often as my mind would allow.
The procedure? Way less painful than I imagined.
With the help of some numbing agents and a most gentle Hygienist, I survived.