As I hit middle age, I'm guilty of wanting to hold back time. I dread deadlines, facial lines, and annual doctor visits. I mourn the days when I could carry my children on my hips. I don't want my parents, now in their 80s, to get a day older. And if I really must be honest, I'll confess that deep down inside, I wish time wouldn't speed along quite so fast, because even at 52, I feel like I need more time to accomplish all the other stuff-personal, professional-I was supposed to as a grown-up.
But recently, I've developed a new craving one in direct contradiction to this yearning. I want time to zip by. I fantasize about falling into bed and waking up six months, nine months, a whole year into the future. This is because I have braces.
Seventeen months ago, after years of hemming, hawing, and trying to convince myself I should focus on self-improvement of the less vain and superficial variety, I surrendered myself to an orthodontist. The same orthodontist, in fact, who fixed my daughter's teeth when she was in seventh grade and who has probably had his hands in the mouths of a quarter of the kids in our town. I sat myself down across from him, pointed to my teeth, and said, "I need to fix these."
To put it bluntly, I had some really bad buckteeth. My two top front chompers were pushed so far out beyond my other teeth that they had practically formed their own archipelago, disconnected from the mainland. They also seemed larger than they had any right to be, monstrous in both height and width. They were like two obnoxious people who showed up to a concert in a public park and plopped a pair of giant lawn chairs front and center, blocking the view of everyone sitting on the grass. I had problems with other teeth, too, including lateral incisors on the top and bottom that jutted out at awkward angles, like cars parked in a hurry outside an emergency room.
Diese Geschichte stammt aus der Volume 3. No 3 - 2023-Ausgabe von The Oprah US.
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Diese Geschichte stammt aus der Volume 3. No 3 - 2023-Ausgabe von The Oprah US.
Starten Sie Ihre 7-tägige kostenlose Testversion von Magzter GOLD, um auf Tausende kuratierte Premium-Storys sowie über 8.000 Zeitschriften und Zeitungen zuzugreifen.
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The BEST BOOKS of 2024
We all loved Oprah's Book Club selections this year (did you read them all?), but here are our editors' favorite standouts on the shelves-from the thoughtprovoking to the heartwarming to the hilarious.
The Summer I TOOK My Mom "HOME"
Whenever I tell people about the Last Trip Home I took to Italy with my 87-year-old mother and my older son last summer, everyone has the same response (\"Awwww...\"), which makes me feel like a fraud because I know they're imagining some gauzy scene. And to be fair, I'd tried to plan it that way.
PARIS Made ME DO IT
Travel maybe shouldn't be any different than \"regular\" life, but it is.
LOST And Found IN AMERICA
When I was 21, I spent the summer driving around the United States with my boyfriend. It amazes me, looking back, that I let myself go on that eight-week trip.
I WENT I Saw, HATE
Ten years ago, I went to Tokyo on a lark. I was invited to the opening of the 38-story Aman Tokyo hotel, a beautiful example of urban minimalism and a destination unto itself.
Trips That Changed US All Forever
Me, MOM, And A Thousand SEABIRDS
Dear Biohackers, The Secrets to Longevity Are Simpler Than You Think
In a world of health trackers built to optimize, we propose choosing joy over deprivation and community over navel-gazing. The research agrees.
The Menopause Makeover: For When "Aging Gracefully" Gets Old
Because literally everything-from eyelids to neck skin to boobs to butt-falls off a cliff. Here, a dozen interventions women in this life stage are embracing.
Why I Cut Off All My Hair
The author of City of Girls and Big Magic talks about how she made the bold decision to break out the clippers in order to find her own version of beauty.
The Perfect Gift Book for Everyone on Your List
Sumptuous reads that look as lovely on your coffee table as they do on your bedside table.