Editor's note: Jimmy Earll (not his real name) is a practicing dentist in Northern California and a stand-up comic who performs all over North America. His column, Laughing Gas, appears regularly on the DrBicuspid.com advice and opinion page, Second Opinion.
Recently, as I was working on a patient who appeared to be 20 to 25 years old, a Goo Goo Dolls song came on the radio, "Give a Little Bit." After listening for a few moments, I said, "I think I like the Supertramp version better."
With cotton rolls and a suction tip in her mouth, my patient managed to innocently ask, "Who's Supertramp?"
WOW!! Has that much time really flown by that my patients don't know who Supertramp is? And the more important question: Have I done what I wanted to do with my life thus far?
My boys are 12 and 14 years old, and it has always been important to me that we give back before they go off to college. I wanted to take them on some sort of mission trip; the nice thing about my alma mater, Loma Linda University, is that the infrastructure is set up so that if I wanted to go to a remote part of China next month and serve in a dental clinic, I can.
But I've begun to realize we don't have to go across an ocean to give back. There are many people that need our help right here in our own communities. If you check with your local dental association, they can steer you in the right direction. My focus is the kids. You don't have to go to Africa to find neglected children. They're right here in my community.
Recently, I was on a dental van that serves the underprivileged children in my area, and I had a "kids say the darndest things" moment. A brother and his sister come in, and I started with the brother. He was about 7 or 8 years old, and I was placing a stainless steel crown on tooth #T. He was very apprehensive, so to ease his nervousness I told him I was placing some bling on his tooth, just like Jay-Z or Lil Wayne have on their teeth. (I don't even know if Jay-Z sports a blinged out grill: I was just trying to connect.) Just before I gave my patient a little anesthetic, he says, "I'm not much into hip hop but my sister is -- you can put one on her!"
I know times are tough, but as we usher in the holiday season, I encourage all of you to make a New Year's resolution to reach out to your community and, as Supertramp says, give a little bit.
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