Paradoxes: When Good Things Bite

They don’t teach you this stuff in school.  In fact, most of it completely contradicts everything you were taught.  They don’t teach you about the paradoxes that hide in the simplest places:

The toys and shows that bring your kids so much joy can so easily slip into unhealthy obsession and bring them grief and anxiety.

The foods the experts label as unhealthy can become the only nutrition they’ll accept (and don’t give me that crap about them “eating when they’re hungry”).

Discipline and firm rules can sometimes be your absolute worst course of action.

Six days on a luxury cruise ship in paradise can actually cause trauma to the things most precious to you.

One day at a luxury resort port-of-call can backfire and bring it all crashing down, because they just can’t understand why you can’t go back the next day.

Keeping your chin tucked low while maneuvering a basket restraint on God’s greatest gift to your life is critical to avoiding a broken nose.   

It’s actually possible to ask God to speed up your vacation so you can get home and relax.

There are vicious, cruel people out there of all ages who can wound you with a simple smirk.

There are staggeringly kind people out there who can make it all O.K. with a simple smile.

It’s worth it to convince yourself that the kind ones outnumber the cruel ones… even if it only gets you through dinner with your family without exploding. 

The world’s biggest introvert can actually find comfort in squinting through the tears and turning to 10,000 strangers for support as he ties a knot at the end his rope and holds on with all his remaining strength.