#Middlebury
Editor’s note: This column was originally published in the September print issue of the Middlebury Bee-Intelligencer.
By BRIDGET HENRY
In recent weeks, a very good friend of mine introduced me to the quote, “Not fragile like a flower. Fragile like a bomb.” I had never seen or heard this quote before until I saw the words printed alongside an image of Ruth Bader Ginsberg on my good friend’s sweatshirt. (She is hands-down the biggest Ruth B.G. fan on the planet.)
The sweatshirt, with its cartoon image of Justice Ginsburg, is eye-catching for sure but it was the quote itself that really struck me. Like all powerful and meaningful words, the quote stayed with me for days and the message behind it inspired and empowered me.
I was actually a little surprised that I had never heard the quote before, especially since I am an avid reader and a complete sucker for inspirational quotes. I have been known to take pictures of powerful paragraphs or strongly worded quotes in magazines and then store the images in my phone. (One never knows when one might need some instant inspiration, you know?) This particular quote about the power of fragility was brand new but it totally resonated with me. I wrote the quote down and added it to my inspirational arsenal.
In the days and weeks to follow, life did what it does best and got hectic and stressful and hard. To say I felt fragile was an understatement. And “fragile” was definitely not the look I was going for. In the past I had always associated fragility with weakness and almost always used the word “fragile” to describe something that was easily broken.
However, my new quote, “‘Not fragile like a flower. Fragile like a bomb” flipped fragility on its side and reminded me that some of the most fragile things in life actually have the biggest impact. Fragile like a bomb was exactly what I was determined to be. And so, I began wearing the quote much like a sweatshirt and constantly reminded myself that while weakness was not an option, a new kind of fragility certainly was.
Why do I share this? Well I am a firm believer that there rarely are coincidences in life. Instead, I believe there is meaning in the smallest of circumstances. It is simply our job to find the meaning. As such, I truly believe that quote was a gift to me. it came to me just as I was going to need it most and was given to be from the person in my life who demonstrates the bomb mentality like no one I have ever known.
And so, I guess I want to pay a little forward. To whoever needs to hear those words, here they are. You are not fragile like a flower. You are fragile like a bomb. Cheers to incredibly strong friends who are stronger than they know. Cheers to good timing and wise words. And cheers to being the bomb. As always, I am happy to be Somewhere in the Middle (of an inspirational quote) with all of you.
