The Practicon Viewpoint by Ann Page Griffin

DID YOU KNOW? HAVE YOU HEARD?

THOUGHTS TO PONDER

The Swedish word fika means to take a coffee and a pastry break with family, friends, or coworkers. It's a time, an invitation, to enjoy one another's company, to linger a little away from the rush of "busyness" we all experience in the hectic pace of work, and of life in general.

Fika is the spirit of "We care." This spirit can permeate a home, a family, a work team, a business, a house of worship, or even a dental office if the people involved are willing to show an extra measure of interest in those around them: patients, teammates, and dentist(s).

How can your dental team develop and share in the spirit of fika? Consider forming a "We Care" Team to bring fika to life in your office. Allocate an adequate budget for a few months to test the idea and watch to see the positive changes that result.

The second message I'd like to share is one I received by email, and, normally, would have been deleted immediately. For some reason, I read this posting top to bottom, and I'm glad I did, because I was struck by the thoughts stated. I still pause for a quick thought of gratitude each time I read it.

This is only a portion of the whole, a discussion of gratitude for the blessings in our lives that often go unnoticed, or that we regard as "coincidences." I have come to agree with George Washington, the first U.S. President, that "coincidences" are not happenstances, but rather providential interruptions. There are no coincidences.

"How does one acknowledge God's blessings?" I asked. "Simple. Just say, 'Thank you, Lord.' "
"What blessings should we acknowledge?" I asked.

If you have food in your refrigerator, clothes on your back, a roof overhead, and a place to sleep, you are richer than 75% of this world. If you have money in the bank, in your wallet, and spare change in a dish, you are among the top 8% of the world's wealthy, and if you get this on your own computer, you are part of the 1% in the world who has that opportunity.

If you woke up this morning with more health than illness, you are more blessed than the many who will not even survive this day.

If you have never experienced the awful fear in battle, the loneliness of imprisonment, the agony of torture, or the pangs of starvation, you are ahead of 700 million people in the world.

If you can attend a church, synagogue, mosque, or temple without the fear of harassment, arrest, torture or death, you are envied by and more blessed than three billion people in the world.

If you can hold your head up and smile, you are not the norm—you're unique to all those in doubt and despair.

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