Trish in Transit

“As I write this now, it occurs to me that the peculiarity of most things we think of as fragile is how tough they truly are. There were tricks we did with eggs, as children, to show how they were, in reality, tiny load-bearing marble halls; while the beat of the wings of a butterfly in the right place, we are told, can create a hurricane across an ocean.” -Neil Gaiman, Fragile ThingsWhen I am down, I either a) Watch FRIENDS or b) read or watch stuff by Neil Gaiman. It’s been a while since I reread one of his books, so I went to my shelf and slipped out the collection of “short fictions and wonders” entitled Fragile Things. This book is special to me, not just because of the stories and quotes like the one above, but also because it has this short note on the title page, scribbled in my dad’s handwriting:

Christmas 2007

To Dearest Tricia:

Best wishes and bon voyage for your impending flight of fancy with this new Gaiman book. I am so happy that you love reading as much as I do – this will hold you in good stead as you already well know. Continue to be the best you can be, child.

Love,

Papa and Ma.

It’s been seven years since this was written, can you believe it? But it still has the ability to make me smile on the worst of days and make me feel less alone. And for that, I am glad.

“Hearts may break, but hearts are the toughest of muscles, able to pump for a lifetime, seventy times a minute, and scarcely falter along the way. Even dreams, the most delicate and intangible of things, can prove remarkably difficult to kill.”