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Every Little Thing by April Jeppson

My best friend got her braces off this week. She’s a 41-year-old mother of four. When her oldest child was getting braces, she told me that once those were paid off, she was next in line. I thought it was kind of odd that she’d want to go through all that as an adult. I mean, you’re grown, are straight teeth really that important? I had braces for about three years as a kid, and I still have the mouth scars and obsessive need to check my teeth after I eat anything.

When my friend expressed the desire to get braces, I had to mentally take a step back. She’s been self-conscience about her smile for years, and I have no idea what that must be like. I was pretty young when I got them, so I don’t think I was ever completely aware of how gnarly my smile really was.

Watching her go through this journey the last 18 months has been kind of fun. I gave her whatever tips and tricks I could remember. Stay away from gum and don’t bother with food like corn on the cob. Kind of a walk down memory lane, really.

The moment those braces came off, I received a photo of my friend smiling. All her teeth, in a row and not covered in brackets. When she first told me she wanted to get this done, I had questioned if it would be worth it. Isn’t this something that kids do? Do adults really care that much about the straightness of their teeth? After seeing her smile, I can tell you right now, it was totally worth it.

So my thoughts this week have been all about this joy. What other things do we think we’ve missed out on, or put off because it’s “too late?” Maybe our parents didn’t let us do it, or perhaps we didn’t have the money or maybe we put our children first and put ourselves on the back burner.

One of my favorite quotes is “It’s never too late to be who you might have been.” I’m a firm believer that with a conscience effort we can change, learn and grow at any age. If as a child you always wanted to play the violin, but your parents couldn’t’ afford it, why not learn now? If, like my friend, you’ve always wanted braces, go get them. Maybe you want to go back to school. You’ve spent so many years working and taking care of your family that you forgot that deep down, you’ve always wanted to be a teacher, or a nurse or a circus entertainer.

It’s OK to better yourself and choose the path that brings you happiness. We have one life and it goes by so fast.

“Life is not a journey to the grave with the intentions of arriving safely in a pretty well-preserved body, but rather to skid in broadside, thoroughly used up, totally worn out and loudly proclaiming… WOW! What a ride!”

Whatever it is, go for it — it’s not too late. 

Albert Lean April Jeppson is a wife, mom, coach and encourager of dreams. Her column appears every Saturday.