I raised boys, so a few years ago when The Eras Tour had everyone talking about Taylor, Taylor, Taylor, I didn’t think Swift. I thought Hawkins, as in the drummer for the Foo Fighters (RIP GOAT). No shade to Swifties. 1989 just wasn’t our scene.
The tour did reignite one of my favorite 80s trends, though: the friendship bracelet. The craze is probably dead again; what do I know? (See: above.) My point is, trendy or no, words strung together—whether on a bracelet or in our minds—are powerful, especially those you can't escape.
The Weight of Fragile Beads
As we continue reading Sonali Dev’s The Vibrant Years, I’m struck by Bindu’s “fragile beads” metaphor throughout the book’s early chapters.
“For years Bindu Desai had believed that life was a series of accidents waiting to happen, fragile beads strung together on threads of varying strengths. The only way to keep them from shattering was to stand utterly still and hold them as carefully as she possibly could.”
From The Vibrant Years by Sonali Dev
Bindu is my favorite so far. She’s a rule-breaker, and because of that, she’s in constant friction with women who find comfort, purpose, and place within the rules.
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