Run a practice, climb a mountain

Teeth sometimes take a back seat in the shenanigans of life. And training to climb a mountain can be way off the radar too.

Running a practice has without doubt been one of the toughest challenges of my life. To run a business effectively and efficiently 24 hours a day means you have to be a robot with no family, no friends, no emotional trauma, no stress, no illnesses, no depression, no hospitals, no worries, no children, no nothing. Might come as a revelation to some but dentists are actually human beings not robots.

There are days I have gone into the practice and feel like I’m close to burn out. And then my nurse will make me smile, the receptionist will make me a coffee and a patient will say thank you and my world is right again. So where am I going with this.

I suppose I’m just trying to make myself feel better for taking my eye off the business ball and not being Lord Alan Sugar focussed on profits and losses all the time. I have a wonderful family and sometimes they need me more than the business. The sad thing is the business doesn’t give me a hug and tell me not to worry. It kicks me in the teeth when I have my back turned. But that’s okay because I do eventually get back on track. With sheer grit and determination …which should come in useful for climbing Kili too.

So the guilt I feel at having let my Kili training slip and slide is okay too. I just need to get back on track.

Although I did climb a mountain last weekend ! My very first one. Snowdon. With members of that fabulous Team DH I told you about. They have been amazing. Realized I had not a clue what was coming my way and arranged to get me up my first mountain. What an experience! Sadly weather stopped us from getting to the summit but as our trainer Stuart Amory said, if it had been a beautiful sunny day I would have learned nought.

We got 3/4 of the way up and it was snowing. There were strong winds, hail and in fact a woman did get blown off the mountain that day, so disappointing as it was we turned back and headed back down for hot chocolates. It’s like running a practice, sometimes you have to stop the stress, sip a hot chocolate and reflect.

The most important thing I did learn was that I like mountains, I am happy to climb,sometimes with a spring in my step, chatting happily to my companions, sometimes battling with the elements, barely being able to breathe let alone walk but the views are like nowhere else on earth.

A bit like running a practice. And life.