Living with Crooked and Misshapen Teeth
Don’t judge a book by its cover
http://gf.me/u/y24twa
I’m turning 40 years old this year, and this is what my teeth look like. It’s something that has always been a source of anguish for me, spawning insecurity, anxiety and a lack of self-confidence.
I have never fully shared how this has affected my life. But I would like to try. In no way do I overlook the fact that I am still a white male that has been afforded privilege beyond anything I deserve, but I will say that I have seen what it’s like to be silently judged and have people make assumptions about how you live. I’ve been passed up by women for dates and felt ugly and dejected.
So where did things go wrong for me? It all goes back to that fateful day in a sporting goods store during the 80s. My brother and I were old enough to wander the store on our own, I the tender age of five and him closer to seven.
I distinctly remember an area of the store that was staged like a campsite. There was a tent, a log to sit on and two folding chairs with ugly green vinyl weaving. Who knows if that was really the case or something that my imagination has plugged in over the years.
At any rate, my brother picks up a dumbbell from a stand. Not sure what that has to do with a…
