Oh, this was a lovely thing to wake up to on a Sunday morning... Yes, I was afraid that I may have taken the whole "dichotomy" part of the prompt a little too literally (and a lot too far), but have been pleasantly surprised at how well it's been received.

I look forward to hearing your thoughts on the second half, which really does bring it all full circle--the comparisons, the contrasts, and, of course, Susan! Thank you so much for your kind words!