Making sure everyone stays comfortable all the time has never been our sacred assignment. We are here to stretch and grow and learn as much as we can, sharing the wonders we discover with others who are also willing to look outside the box.

I learned this “out of the blue” several decades ago, when I received an unexpected long-distance phone call from an absolute stranger, a wise dentist from Texas. I was a regular on the national dental lecture circuit back then, teaching some avant-garde “non-surgical” periodontal therapies that worked like a charm― far more effective techniques than I’d ever learned in dental school. But because I dared to challenge the existing paradigm of “how we treat gum disease,” I became intensely unpopular in some circles and never knew when the next professional heckler would be planted in my audience to intentionally disrupt the seminar. Apparently, this Texan dentist had just witnessed one of these nasty blind-sided intellectual assaults.

“You go, girl!” were the first words out of his mouth. He introduced himself then, offering some sage advice:

“You’re going to take plenty of arrows in the back, Teryl― pioneers always do. Don’t you worry about it, girl. Just remember… you’re not contributing anything of real value unless you piss a few people off.”

I’ve never forgotten his colorful and timely message, nor the enormous courage it often requires to be a genuine truth-seeker and a true Spiritual Warrior. Albert Einstein knew this territory very well…