It’s an odd title, right? Tooth, Paint, and Raspberry Brushes. What in the world do these three things have in common? Let’s start with the backstory “Tooth”. I am absolutely terrified of the dentist. To put that into perspective, listen to the details of my dental experience this past Summer: I hadn’t been to the dentist in years. I literally chose not to go to the dentist because, somehow, I had conjured up this irrational fear (as most fears are) that getting dental care was incredibly terrifying. However, somehow, my friends and family convinced me that it was time to conquer my fear and at least go in for a cleaning and checkup. So that’s just what I did. Did I cry before she literally brushed my own teeth for me? Yes. Was I embarrassed? Yes. She even offered me laughing gas, however, to this offer I declined because I was an almost twenty-year-old, sobbing in front of my dental hygienist. I was trying to claim some sort of dignity, hoping it was somewhere on the towel pinned around my neck. I may have spoken too soon though, as I was shortly notified that I would be required to return, not once, not twice, but three more times for further dental work. I left the dentist that day and my mom, the sweetest human being in the world, hugged me, her adult child, as I quiveringly attempted to get over my fear. It was a good thing too, because as life would have it, I now I have very healthy teeth. The first brush: Tooth Brush. Now let’s look at the second brush: Paint Brush. This is how I receive self-therapy. Call it a good decision or a bad one, but when I am so completely overwhelmed that I can hardly breathe, I drop everything and I paint something. I think that the best artists create when they’re emotionally overwhelmed (good, bad, or otherwise). I think that I am far from what may be considered the “best artists” but I love it, with all of my heart and often am consumed with my emotions. To connect the two brushes, tooth, and paint, I can heartily tell you that I have a small and yet mighty painting of a tooth hidden amongst my unpublished paintings that reminds me that I got through my childhood fear of oral cleanliness. (All in good fun, I assure you, I really did brush my teeth). Now the last and third brush: Raspberry Brush. Those who know me well, know that I am from about as far North in Wisconsin as you can get, and that means that I know how to embrace the great outdoors. I LOVE THE OUTDOORS, (yes, that required all capital letters). Sometimes when you’re hiking, camping, or even simply going for a walk up north, you’ll run into thickets of raspberry and blackberry brush. The sweet and precious jewels of fruit that grow from these branches are so, so good, but they come with a price. Be prepared to come out of the thicket with scratches and singers from the stem. Like a rose, the fruit is protected by sharp thorns that prevent the lazy from plucking it. However, if you can manage the scrapes and the thorns and the brushes, you receive my most favorite food in the whole world, berries; the rubies of the fruit world. From the thicket comes treasure. So we have three brushes, tooth, paint, and raspberry. All three brushes take pain, or fear, or struggle, and turn them into something, beautiful. Brushes are a tool for taking the worst things and transforming them into the best things. I think that as people, striving towards a functional community that loves and supports each other, we need to be more like brushes. Like brushes, we can come in all different shapes, sizes, and talents. Most importantly though, we need to all take our worsts and “brush them up” into something far better. For me, it's starting with clean healthy teeth, inspired paintings and even freshly picked raspberries. Where will you find and use your brushes?