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Flossing:Running:Writing
Writing is like running and flossing (the dental hygiene type – not the dance move). It requires perseverance, patience, time, and discipline. Once you make it a habit, it becomes baked into who you are. Even though I don’t run everyday, I’m a runner. I might forget to floss a day here or there, but I’m a flosser. And even though my writing has fallen to the wayside at different points over the years, I am still a writer. I think.
Being a flosser is a newer thing for me, only a couple years old now. It wasn’t a habitual part of my dental hygiene routine until I found a convenient way to weave it into my day. Now that I have, it’s become a valued ritual. My gums no longer bleed after my biannual dentist visits. Dental hygienists no longer remind me to floss more. Since I’ve successfully kept up the habit for two years and enjoy the results enough to keep doing it, I feel it’s safe to consider myself a flosser.
It’s easy for me to call myself a runner because I’ve kept it up, with only brief pauses, since I was 15 years old. I’ve logged hundreds if not thousands of miles. Not every run is a good run. Every race doesn’t end in a personal record. And even though I don’t have Olympic medals or world championships in running, I’m confident I can classify myself as a runner.
Considering myself as a writer is harder to convince me of. Despite having a B.A. in English and an M.A. in Writing & Publishing. Plus publishing a few articles in Pregnancy & Newborn magazine, and holding down a freelance job for five years as a writer and editor. Maybe once upon a time I’d consider myself a writer. But now? Not so much.
I think it’s because as a child, I had visions of grandeur of holding a book in my hands with my name on the cover. Because I haven’t achieved that, I’m not an author. But how will I achieve it if I don’t write regularly? Thus the conundrum I find myself in today, and what has partially brought me back to this blog. Hopefully it holds me accountable to write, period. That’s my first achievable step.
Becoming a Flosser
Flossing became a regular component in my daily routine a couple years ago. Before that, I had a noncommittal relationship with it. My gums would bleed and be puffy in the aftermath of my regular dental visits, and the hygienist would gently remind me to floss more. I’d bask in the clean feeling of my bottom retainer after the appointment (IYKYK), and slowly but surely the plaque would build back up by the next one.
I made excuses for myself to avoid flossing. Cavities have never been an issue for me, so what’s the big deal? Getting the floss through my top and permanent retainers is more difficult and requires special threaders to do so. Some of my top teeth are so close together that getting a threader through them is a feat in and of itself, which even deterred hygienists over the years. If the professionals are wary of doing it, why should I?
During one of my regular dental cleanings, my lovely hygienist did her routine measurements of my gums. One of the numbers was higher than the last time. Aimee didn’t seem alarmed (or surprised) by the change, but it startled me. The Type-A overachiever kicked in and couldn’t believe I had let a 4 creep into my chart of 2s and 3s.
Aimee also informed me that runners and high-endurance athletes have more plaque buildup due to the heavy breathing. That explains why I noticed such a difference in the feel of my retainer after a professional dental cleaning! Not only that, but that oral bacteria could increase my risk for heart disease. I was shook. The only way to remedy both the gum issue and plaque buildup was by flossing regularly.
So I decided to make this annoying – but apparently necessary – habit fit into my routine. At first, I tried doing it as the last thing before turning in for the day. But I’d be so eager to get to bed and read that flossing got skipped more often than not. So I switched it to the morning, and that minor change has helped me stick with it. It helps that I found threaders and floss that make it easier for me to do so.
Now it is very rare that I don’t floss, and my subsequent visits to the dentist have gotten my gum measurements back into the safe zone. And that extra clean feeling in my bottom retainer after a professional cleaning? It’s gone, because my mouth is used to being clean year round thanks to the daily flossing. I probably shouldn’t be as shocked as I am that flossing works. Even if it took 35 years, I’m proud of myself for making it a regular habit.
Going the Distance
Making it a part of my routine reminded me a lot of becoming a runner. I was resistant at first. My first 5k was in 2001 at the encouragement of my best friend, Pam. I thought I was going to pass out on the side of the road after the first mile. How on earth could I do 2.1 more? How could anyone do a 5k, let alone a half marathon, let alone a full marathon?
As I write this, I’m training for my seventh half-marathon and debating running a second marathon. Fun fact: Pam also inspired my half- and full-marathon journeys. (I highly recommend having a high school bestie who continues to inspire you in middle age.) I went from getting cramps while running a single mile to now running 13.1 miles with no side stitches. And the way I got there was very similar to making flossing a routine habit:
- Setting achievable goals. For flossing, it was floss 3-4x a week before building it up to every day. With running, start with training for a 5k, then a 10k, then a 15k, then a half-marathon, then why not a full one? Small but significant steps that led me to the next one.
- Making it work with my schedule. Much like with flossing, running happens in the beginning of the day for me. I feel I’ve succeeded for the day when these routines are checked off, which makes the rest of the day more conquerable (something that can be hard for those of us with anxiety and depression).
- Adding some fun to it. I’ve made it something I look forward to by finding podcasts or playlists or running programs that I can listen to while running. And every Sunday, my friend Katie and I train together for long runs. It not only holds us both accountable, but we get the pleasure of each other’s company. Endorphins and friendship for the win!
Now I’m trying to take these similarities into rebuilding my writing habit. So far, it’s working! I may not be writing every day, but I’m writing 3-4x a week. Whether it’s jotting in my notes app on my phone, typing on my laptop, or taking a pen to paper in my journal, I’m writing. To really hold myself accountable, I’d like to post on my blog 2-4x a month. I’m not focused on the comments or shares (although those are very encouraging and lovely!) but the act of hitting “publish” on the site.
Making it work with my schedule has probably been the easiest aspect for me, as my kids get older and technology advances. When I was younger, I didn’t have the convenience of mobile phones. Now I can get down ideas or sentences whilst walking the dog or after school drop off. I forgot that sometimes the easiest part is getting the words on the page, and the hard work comes in the editing. I’m relearning that sometimes the editing is also the most fun and inspiring aspect of writing.
Speaking of fun, I’ve added it to the writing process! By experimenting with different journals and pens, adding stickers to my laptop, using music to keep me company. As I wrote the first draft of this post, I enjoyed a glass of rosé on the front porch. Turns out, switching up the environment and medium helps me stay interested and focused.
While I still don’t feel as confident referring to myself a writer as I do a runner or a flosser, I think in my heart of hearts I’ve always considered myself one. Even before I dedicated myself to either of the other activities, I wrote. Whether it was making up stories as a little girl, or keeping a journal as a teenager, or churning out academic papers in college, I’ve been writing. As an adult I’ve literally been paid money for the written content I produced. So while I may not have a book on the shelf with my name along the spine, or currently receive payment for work I’ve written, I need to start taking myself seriously as a writer. Because I am one.
4 comments on “Flossing:Running:Writing”
Loved this post, Char! Keep up the good work flossing and writing and know how proud I am of you for working on these things and I continue to look forward to reading your posts!
Love you.
Yay for flossing, writing, and RUNNING! Great post.
Charli, I just want you to know how much I love your writing. Your creativity and the way you express yourself through words are truly amazing. I’m so proud of the stories and ideas you bring to life! ❤️
That means so much – thank you Lor! I’m glad to get such positive reactions because sometimes the stories and ideas seem so silly and disconnected when I start out.