I send out a daily e-mail report during my four week long mission to Vietnam every summer, chock full (in my opinion, at least) of interesting happenings and observations from the eastern sector of our planet. The past several summers, I have been motivated to make one same pronouncement: the two things I miss most while in Can Tho are the ability to swim/lift weights daily AND my Waterpik! There's not much I can do about the first item- you don't see swimming pools or gyms where I stay. But, I have toyed with the idea of packing my Waterpik. While I floss my teeth religiously, there simply is no cleaner dental hygiene feeling than rinsing with the Waterpik, short of going to the dentist for your six month cleaning. So, my to do list for my 2017 mission is to pack my dentist wrapped in plastic. My guess is that it will pass cleanly through customs!
But this post isn't about how good my teeth and gums feel, even though they feel terrific. (I am sitting here staring at a six month reminder from my dentist for the bi-annual checkup!) You see, I bought my latest Waterpik back in June, about ten days before my sojourn to Vietnam. As prescribed, I charged it for twenty-four hours before my first use- love the initial time with any new product. Then, four weeks on my Can Tho mission and I came home expecting to have to charge it back. Surprisingly, it still was fully powered despite the inactivity! And here is the shocking thing; I've been back in Houston for thirty-three days and I still haven't had to charge it! I'm not sure of the calendar purchase date but it has to be at least seventy days without charging. Even subtracting the twenty-eight when it sat alone and untouched in my bathroom, I am in awe. Not sure if there is a Guinness category for longest time between charging a home appliance, but I might win. And it has shown no signs of slowing down yet!
I have a confession to make. I have owned a number of Waterpiks and this has never happened before. In fact, in the past, I have been disappointed by the lack of longevity of the unit maintaining its charge. I have always chalked it up to my just doing a poor job of reading the owner's manual for maintenance tips. But this one, WOW! No other electronic device I've possessed- laptop, cell phone, electric razor- can compare with this Waterpik Water Flosser. Part of me wishes my life was like this dental aide. I wish I didn't get run down but I do; physically, mentally, emotionally, and particularly, spiritually. Ironically, I feel most drained coming back from my mission trips. It might be because I land back in Texas in the middle of WCS in-service or the jet lag phenomenon, which only hits me coming home. It might be that life here seems so predictable and mundane versus the excitement of riding through a foreign paradise on the back of a motorcycle. I have to plug back in to THE power source through prayer, reading Scripture, singing, fellowship, mediation and at times, I find it incredibly hard when immediately my world becomes incredibly busy with the start of school and the wrapping up of my trip. We all want to just keep running along at full tilt but we weren't created that way. We need to rest and recharge and slow down. I can only blame myself- I make the decision when to return. But at least I don't have to mess with my Waterpik! It leaves me time for the more important arenas of my life. And my teeth are always grateful.
Applicable quote of the day:
If a patient cannot clean his teeth, no dentist can do it for him.
Martin H. Fischer
God bless,
Steve
Luke 18:1
www.hawleybooks.com
E-mail me at steve@hawleybooks.com
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