Sometimes you just have to brush your teeth

It seems like forever ago, but really it was the summer before I moved to DC. I lived in a house with a lot of women (well, a lot for an only child). The summer was a challenge, but I was blessed because I had a great roommate. She was an inspiration—not because of what she did but because of who she was. But she, like most everyone, had a few quirks. And there is one I can now call my own.

She couldn’t think before she brushed her teeth. I don’t know what connection her teeth and her brain had, but that is what she always said. This morning I needed to focus. I was having trouble thinking. And then I realized—I hadn’t brushed my teeth. The things you take from others…