This past week, my 7-year-old daughter had to get a tooth pulled.
Since going to the dentist isn’t exactly my wife’s ‘happy place’, I had the privilege of taking her to the appointment.
Thankfully, our pediatric dentist and his team are fantastic…efficient, patient, and kind.
But still… it’s a tooth pull. Not exactly a day at the spa.
When they asked my daughter if she wanted laughing gas, she calmly shook her head: “No.”
The assistant smiled and gently said, “If I were you, I’d definitely do it.”
So I leaned in and said, , “Sweetie, maybe it would be a good idea to get the laughing gas, you’re going to feel it less, are you sure you don’t want to do it???”
I thought for sure she would say yes, but she surprised me with a firm “No, thank you.”
She sat through the whole procedure like a champ. No gas. No tears. Just pure grit.
Afterward, I asked her why she didn’t want the laughing gas. She said, dead serious, “Because I didn’t feel like laughing at the dentist’s office.”
Touché.
The next morning, I had a packed schedule and was trying to get out the door early to prep for patients. But before I could grab my keys, she sheepishly asked,
“Daddy, can we go get gluten-free pancakes together?”
Now, normally I might’ve said, “Let’s do it another day.”
But when a little girl faces down a dental battle and skips the laughing gas because she “didn’t feel like laughing”, how do you say no?
So I hit pause, shuffled a few things, and off we went out to breakfast, just the two of us.
Worth every syrupy second.
I wouldn’t trade that moment for all the patient visits in the world.
As a dad with kids ranging from 29 to 7 (and everything in between), I can tell you firsthand: it goes by fast.
Looking back, I wish I had said yes to more moments like that.
And I’ve realized something:
It’s not just the big moments that shape your life.
It’s the small ones, stacked up quietly, consistently, day after day.
Same goes for your health.
It’s not about dramatic overhauls or overnight change.
It’s about small, faithful choices, made on repeat.
- One healthy meal.
- One workout.
- One solid night of sleep.
- One “no thanks” to something that weakens you.
- One “yes” to something that builds you up & those around you.
You do that long enough, and before you know it, you find yourself stronger. Steadier. More resilient.
More available to the people who need you most.
Because good health does not come from a one time event, but through little daily wise choices over time that define your character and who you really are.
So if you’re already on that path, I commend you & encourage you to keep on keeping on.
Keep choosing the good.
Keep showing up.
Keep saying yes to the people who matter.
Especially in the little things.
Because the little things? They’re not so little after all.
Have a great weekend!
Dr. Derek “No Laughing Gas… Just Pancakes” Taylor
