If it's not one thing . . . .

 

          It was about to come true: one of my greatest fears.

          A succession of sneezes and unusually tired eyes. Was I getting a cold?

          Never mind that Christmas is next week. My big concern was the dentist.

          Earlier in the month I’d gone in for a check-up and was told that I had a massive cavity that would need to be addressed.

“But I don’t feel a thing there,” I said.

“That’s because you’ve had a root canal there and the nerves are gone.”

My fear come true. Sitting in the dentist chair with a cold, unable to breathe.

So, I dug around and found my supply of zinc lozenges and knock-on-wood, they seem to be working. The cold is probably still lurking, waiting to spring, but if I can just make it through Monday’s appointment, I’ll be thrilled.

 Or as thrilled as you can be, going to the dentist and about to have an expensive crown removed, drilled on, and then have another expensive crown put back in its place. And that’s the best-case scenario, since the dentist had muttered darkly about the possibility of extraction.

 

So, in the interest of not thinking about grocery lists, presents, or teeth, I went off to play pickleball Friday afternoon.

The people where I play are a nice crowd, unlike other places where they play as though there are scouts in the audience or this is the trials for the Olympics. We’re a laid-back group. Not beginners, but with enough skills to challenge each other.

I play to the front, my days of running back and forth are gone. Or at least I’m not willing to risk a turned ankle or a fall. There I was - receiving from the other side - I raised my paddle to return with a brilliant shot my opponent would never get to, and . . . .Instead I belted the ball, not to the other court but right into my nose.

Would I now have not only a sore jaw from the dentist, but a black eye for Christmas?

But we found the gym’s first aid kit and I was ordered to the side lines with instructions to Sit still! and Keep that ice pack on your face!

It must have worked because no black eye today, and when I played the next game, we won.