The first one.

I debated about the title of this blog for a while.  I finally landed on contradictions because they are one of my favorite things and, as Julie Andrews says, it's good to remember those.  People, yes the nameless arbitrary group, may think of contradictions as a bad thing.  I agree when contradictions lead to lying or other detrimental behaviors, but I think contradictions often get a bad rap.  They are wonderful when incorporated into fashion (picture flowy chiffon top under structured military jacket), get attention when used in color, and they allow for an ambiguous type of freedom in our lives.  In essence, I believe that people are inherently contradictory and it's healthy to embrace that fact.

You may be confused on my point (if indeed there is anyone reading this...) so I will provide some little examples of the beauty in contradictions.  Right now, I am lying in bed, drooling a little with my very swollen mouth hanging open because I just had jaw surgery a few days ago.  My face looks more like a greenish balloon than a face and I am on a liquid diet.  My surgeon gave me percocet for the pain, but I chose to start a blog instead as it causes me much less nausea.  I'm supposed to be feeling crappy, and physically I do, but I have to admit it's kind of great.  This is the first time in so long that I have had nothing to do in so long and I don't know the last time I let myself take a true emotional vacation.  Now, the most strenuous thing I'm allowed to do is drink anything that my mom brings me and take ibuprofen every four hours.  On top of the obvious relaxation, I have been showered in love...and yes, I mean showered.  I think I'm actually still dripping a little from the flowers, cards, calls, texts, and constant facebook messages of encouragement. I don't know what I did to deserve friends like these, but they stand by me when I'm at my worst.  I know that in a few days, I'll get stir crazy and sick of the swelling, and then I'll start back to work very soon, but I am so grateful for this gift of peace and apple-carrot juice that my mom made for me.

So, let's try to glean something meaningful from these mindless (and most likely pain-induced) rambles.  I never want to forget how good my friends were to me and I really want to be a better friend to them in the future, I never ever want to try taking narcotics again, and someday I'd like to bring myself back to this place of absolute relaxation.  I sincerely hope that next time it will not require breaking my jaw and screwing them back together in new places. For now, go pick up a great structured jacket (preferably with an asymmetrical zipper) and try it on with your girliest top.  Unless you are male, in which case you should probably go with a normal vertical zipper.  (Please tell me you laughed just a little)

Cioa (because it is the coolest spelling of a word in history)