Embracing Serendipity
Finding Joy in Life’s Unexpected Moments
“I find joy in the serendipitous moments in life. It’s those instances when I’m cruising in my car, tuned into an audiobook or music, and suddenly, the very word I’m hearing is plastered on a billboard as I drive by. Or when someone crosses my mind, and within moments, I receive a call or text from them. It makes me feel certain that I’m on the right path in life, wherever I’m headed.
As many of you know, I am an avid resolution/goal-setter. One of my resolutions last year was to have a more consistent meditation practice. I fully understand its importance, but carving out consistent time in my day just seemed to get derailed by other things that I have to juggle on a regular basis. So this 2023 goal has naturally become one of my 2024 goals!
This year, as I wrote my desire to meditate more, I knew I needed a plan, since it was unfulfilled last year. When will I find the time daily or even weekly? A few weeks into the new year and having zero meditation sessions under my belt, I got a text from my friend asking if I would like to join her on a 21-day meditation challenge. She would send me and a small group of friends a daily meditation, and I would have to commit to doing it daily. Talk about serendipity!
There was really no way I could say “no” to that request. It would force me to make time for it on a daily basis. Brilliant. After several days into the challenge, I began to see the calmness and the love of being with my higher self. I forgot how much I loved sitting alone in silence. I began to crave more. To me, it has been the self-reassurance and solace that I needed in my busy, high-achieving, on-the-go life. It has allowed me to sit back and enjoy the small moments of joy in life that we are meant to experience, but tend to rush.
Even though there have been quite a few changes already this year and I bet there’s more to come for all of us, I find respite in the calmness and the ability to process thoughts better after meditation. And usually, it leads to more clarity and focus. If you have never tried meditation or want to get into a more consistent practice, check out YouTube’s “Deepak Chopra’s 21-Day Meditation Challenge.” You can also try apps such as Headspace, Waking Up and Ten Percent Happier to to get you started with guided meditation. It’s always nice to have someone “force” you to do it - an accountability partner does wonders.
Whatever your New Year’s resolutions are, don’t forget to revisit them, now that we’re a few months in. I hope you will find many serendipitous moments this year in your life that let you know that you’re on the right path! Wishing you peace and love this coming year.”
~ Dr. Bernice Teplitsky
Dr. Bernice Teplitsky, DDS, NMD, FAGD, AIAOMT
How I fell in to Biological Dentistry
At 16, I was looking for a job and a local dentist hired me to become a dental assistant. I was trained on the job and after several years, I was a chairside dental assistant and helped run the front office administration. I loved watching the multigenerational aspect of a medical office. There can be three generations of the same family, all being taken care of by 1 doctor. People would come stressed and in pain and would leave out of pain and be relieved. I decided that dentistry is my calling. After growing up in Chicago’s north suburbs, I went to Marquette University in Milwaukee for my undergraduate and dental school education. I left dental school wanting more! I attended a hospital based residency program in Chicago. Working in a hospital setting, particularly in the emergency, operating rooms and Cook County Hospital, gave me great surgical experience with complex cases. It also taught me to be a partner with my fellow medical colleagues.
But midway through the program, I started to question why dentistry is so aggressive. Why can’t we conserve more tooth structure? Isn’t there a much more natural way to deal with certain conditions instead of surgery? “Googling” key words (albeit Google was just starting to be a thing) such as natural, whole body and conservative, lead me to a Homeopathy in Dentistry course where I met several leaders in the holistic/biological dentistry world. When they told me about the *toxicity* of the materials we use in dentistry and the potential footprint we are making on the human body, I knew that I needed to learn more. I realized that dental school only gives us a foundation and our degrees give us the authorization to continue learning and taking classes with our medical colleagues. I attended over 1,000 continuing education hours in the following years learning about holistic, biological, integrative, biocompatible, mercury-free, non-toxic, homeopathic, biomimetic, alternative, (and whatever else you want to call it) dentistry. Ever since, I am adding more and more knowledge to my toolbelt.
I have realized that this type of dentistry is not revolutionary, but rather evolutionary. It just takes institutions too long to change their ways and thus schools are not teaching the most modern medicine. I like to consider myself as a forever student seeking to better the condition of every patient that I see. This requires an interdisciplinary approach to medicine, and dentists are a big part of the puzzle.
I am here to play my part and to help my patients improve their health by concentrating on their oral health.
A few personal things about me:
Becoming a wife and a mother of 2 girls has added a new level of understanding, education, compassion and life altering perspective. It has also taught me to be a better multi-tasker, to make better use of my time, to run on less sleep, pausing at the little sweet moments in life and so many other important lessons. I’m a big believer of using up our 168 hours a week wisely. And with time that I’m not seeing patients or managing the office, I currently like to spend it with my amazing family, listening to podcasts, having *me* time, going on hikes, and watching my kids’ excitement when learning and observing something new.
