A wake-up call

I recently had a revelation about how easy it is to take our bodies for granted when everything is working as it should.

When our health is stable, we barely think about it. We just move through our routines, rarely stopping to acknowledge how miraculous it is that we can function without pain, intervention, or expense.

My wake-up call came earlier this year when I started experiencing intense tooth pain.

I’ve had dental issues before, but this felt different, it was deeper, more invasive. At first, I tried to power through. I took pain relief and pushed on with my life, after all, being a mum of four busy kids and working part-time as a kinder teacher doesn’t leave much room for sick days.

But I quickly learned that tooth pain is impossible to ignore. It doesn’t sit quietly in the background. It screams. It takes over.

The dentist prescribed antibiotics and painkillers and booked a follow-up in two weeks. I left hoping the worst was over, but the discomfort lingered. No matter what I was doing, the pain was there, taking up space in my mind and affecting my mood. I was surprised by how something so small, so seemingly routine, could completely disrupt my sense of normality.

I’ve always had relatively healthy teeth. Aside from a root canal four years ago, things had been manageable. That root canal, though, left its mark, not just physically, but emotionally.

Ever since, dental appointments have filled me with dread. It’s that awful combination of unpredictability and vulnerability that makes it hard to walk through the door.

So, when I returned to the dentist this year, I was nervous. After nearly an hour of drilling, he paused and said, with some regret, that he couldn’t finish the procedure. A section of the tooth was beyond his reach, I’d need to see an endodontist to complete the work. I booked the specialist appointment for a month later and braced myself for more waiting.

That month dragged. The pain came and went, and I found myself constantly aware of it, adjusting my day depending on how much it hurt. I kept taking the medication, kept showing up for my kids and my work, but I wasn’t at my best. I was stretched thin, mentally and emotionally.

Oddly enough, though, that waiting period taught me something. I had no choice but to sit with the discomfort and practise patience.

There was nothing to do but keep going and accept the limits of what I could control. It forced me to slow down and pay attention to my body in a way I hadn’t done in years.

When the specialist appointment finally came around, I cleared my calendar and arrived early. Sitting in the chair, heart racing, I listened as the endodontist examined my mouth and laid out a treatment plan. He wasn’t unkind, but he was firm. I needed to take serious preventative steps including new toothpastes, daily flossing, using tooth mousse after meals. He talked about the importance of consistent care, not just in emergencies but every single day.

It was a sobering moment. For all the things I manage in my life, my family, my work, my home, I had been neglecting one very basic thing: my own body.

That appointment became a turning point. I bought everything he recommended and started following the plan religiously. For the first time, I understood that looking after my health wasn’t just something to do when things went wrong, it was an ongoing responsibility.

Jewishly, I’ve been reflecting on the mitzvah of guarding one’s health. It’s often taught as a commandment not to engage in dangerous behaviours, but it’s more than that. It’s about proactively taking steps to maintain wellness, to prevent illness, not just treat it.

In this small, unexpected dental journey, I was reminded that health isn’t guaranteed. It’s a gift that needs our attention and care.

As a wife and a mum of four, that message landed deeply. I want to be present and strong for my family, and that means showing up for myself too. There’s so much in life that’s out of our control, but how we care for our bodies isn’t always one of them. That realisation made me feel more empowered, not less.

It’s so easy to rush through life, too busy to notice the small signals our bodies send us. But I’ve learned that slowing down, paying attention, and developing better habits isn’t indulgent, it’s essential. This experience felt like a personal reckoning, a divine tap on the shoulder. A message to pause, take stock, and start doing better.

I could choose to be frustrated by the inconvenience and the cost, but I’m choosing a different path. I’m choosing gratitude, for the wake-up call, for the ability to make changes, for the chance to take ownership of my health. This experience has made me more intentional, more grateful, and more committed to living with care.

So here I am, on the other side of it, not just with healthier teeth (hopefully!) but with a clearer sense of how precious it is to feel good in your own body, and how much that’s worth investing in.

Rina Jacobs is a proud wife and mum to 4 boys. She is an early childhood educator and has spent the past 12 years teaching Jewish studies to 3 year olds. Her hobbies are walking with friends, taking her kids on adventures and baking cookies to cheer people up.