“That which doesn’t kill us makes us stronger”

When told that the theme of this issue was disruption I checked my dictionary. The meanings it gave related to interruption, to disorder, and to forceful shattering. Disruption feels uncomfortable and unwanted—a break in the familiar, an overturning of the usual order of things, a profoundly disagreeable state of affairs brought upon us by events or persons beyond our control. The notion of disruption takes us automatically out of our personal comfort zone, where we could predict with some certainty the course of affairs, into uncharted and dangerous waters where we may flounder and perish. Disruption may appear therefore to be something to be avoided at all costs; however, I believe that disruption can offer us opportunities to shine, to grow, and to enjoy our lives even more than we do at present—after all, as Nietzsche said: “That which doesn’t kill us makes us stronger”!

Last weekend (Fall 2006) I had a full house here at Gîte Vert Le Mont. I was of course very happy with this, but having all five rooms occupied doesn’t offer much scope for flexibility. I was therefore somewhat flummoxed when one reservation for a room for a husband and wife turned into one for a mother and daughter, another couple needed to change rooms in order to have a bath rather than a shower, and last but not least, at 11pm my final reservation arrived consisting of three people rather than the two that I had anticipated. The situation could have been a nightmare—potentially seven unhappy guests and one stressed out B&B owner. However, I took a deep breath and reorganized as best I could with the result that all my guests were most appreciative and I felt good that I had coped with the situation.

Seeking to disrupt our personal routine can also bring benefits. That same weekend (once everyone had a bed) I decided to go to a francophone show at Salle Alec et Gérard Pelletier with my English-speaking boyfriend. I understood some, he virtually nothing, but we really enjoyed the spectacle, the energy and enthusiasm of both the performers and the audience. It was a great evening and made me think that we are so privileged to have such a wonderful range and quality of shows here in Sutton. We need to rouse ourselves more often and go see our local shows and events, particularly things that we might not usually choose. Who knows what you may discover, and our support of such events means that we encourage and enable the organizers to bring us other performances.

Lastly, I recently experienced one of the most profound types of disruption that can occur in life: the death of a parent. Thanks, however, to my father’s extraordinary courage and strength in the face of his own forthcoming death (and the support of many friends), I was able to cope and believe that, in direct consequence, I have grown as a person. It didn’t kill me, it did make me stronger, and I thank my father with all my heart for what he added to my life, even in his departure.

Lynda Graham