celebrations!

I've written before that I teach Monday nite religion classes at my church. This should not be new to those who've kept abreast with my past ramblings. Well, this year I teach with two awesome women --Ms. Sheila and Sara. Collectively, we have lively discussions with youth ages 13-17 on various topics under the sun --well, anything that has to do with religion anyway. I'm excited to say, these group of kids actually keep me on my toes. They ask hard questions and make us, catechists, go work for the answers. I'm doing some re-learning and learning myself and I like it. Besides having wonderful and thoughtful discussions, we also make time for celebrations. Those little things that are important to only ourselves. we share them with the rest of the group and find the beauty of it. The --"I managed not to trip today, which is the first time in months;" or the --"I got asked out by a boy"; or for me this week --I got my braces off. Celebrations help all of us remember the festive events in our life that week and helps divert energy from focusing on the negatives --which often times are easier to focus on than the positives.

Well, now I can say I have an almost perfect smile. There is one not-so-perfect molar but when my orthodontist gave me a choice and the opinion that he does not think that its gonna correct itself into perfection, then decision became easy. TAKE THE DAMN THING OFF!!! And so yesterday, 29th of November, 2004 the teeth binding came off and the smoothness of my enamel is once again available for me to lick. No eroticism here but its close to orgasmic. Ha!

I remember my brother asking me why I had braces put back on again, yes again --this is my second round of torture --just a glutton for punishment I guess. Anyway, only answer I can give is that I'm vain and I want my teeth perfect. Why you may ask did I decide to prematurely take it off if it's not at all "perfect" the way I wanted in the first place? Well, the answer is simple --irregularities and slight imperfections is part of beauty and so, I like the imperfection that only I can see. That the world out there would have to come near to even get a glimpse of. I dare you to come and get close to me. I'll share my imprefections and we'll celebrate together.

The challenge that I find thrilling is finding out those nooks and crannies of people's personalities. Figuring out how a person ticks and seeing the beauty in it. Remember, I'm the silverlining gal. =) Well, perfection is not really all what it's cracked up to be. Let's see if you look at Piccaso paintings for example, it's not perfect. Its the irregularities and weirdness that attracted people to his art. Anyway, this is old news from me. I've written about the beauty of people's irregularities before so it's nothing new.

Though it makes you wonder, what is it about the non-traditional look of things that attracts most of us? I find it interesting that we keep striving to have the "prefect" body, the "perfect" teeth, "perfect" house, "perfect" family, "perfect" yadda, yadda, yadda. (A phrase I'd like to credit Seinfeld for) What is it about being "perfect" that we yearn and some would even kill to have? Why not just embrace the non-perfectness and radiate with the beauty from within? To be perfectly honest, how much "perfection" can plastic surgery really give someone if there is no personality to back it up? Don't get me wrong, I'm one of the people who wants the "perfect" something. I mean, I'm even toying with the thought of a future cosmetic surgery myself but what is up with this obsession? Yes, I ought to be stoned to death in contradicting my convictions but I am flawed and by no means immune to contradiction. --maybe my protest to all these "swan"-like reality is having decided to take out my braces and having that one overbite. (like the reference to the show?)

Well, I ought to go to sleep and dream about the beauty of non-beauties and celebrate the crooked hidden molar I have and enjoy the braces-less teeth. Yaay!