You don’t have to relive, to remember
You’ll probably read a hundred accounts of what happened today, 8 years ago. Just for posterity’s sake, I’ll add mine as well.
I was unemployed at the time; in fact I had a 1:00 pm interview scheduled on the other side of the state near Orlando for that very day. I also had a plane ticket to Buffalo NY for September 12th.
“Some time away from home and work would serve me well”, I thought.
It was about 8:30 when I got the first phone call from my mom. She was at work and sounded frantic on the phone. “Turn on the TV!” “What channel?” I replied. And she said the three words I’ll never forget: “It doesn’t matter.”
I spent the next entire day in front of that TV in absolute awe of what had happened. As an American, I (like most of you, I’d guess) was raised to believe that no other nation would be crazy enough to bring the fight to our door. As young adults we see snippets of photos and news stories capturing violence and panic in cities we’ve never heard of, but the idea of something like that occurring in this country was all but ridiculous.
But it happened, right here. Terror, panic, fear, and uncertainty gripped the entire United States and led to a whirlwind of laws, new government posts, the TSA, and insane restrictions on travel and citizenship.
As we reflect on what happened on September 11th 2001, it is important to remember those who gave their lives, willingly or not, for the ideals that this country stands for. It is important to take a moment to yourself and remember how fragile and important the lives of your friends and family are.
Like the generation before us who can tell you exactly where they were and what they were doing when Kennedy was shot, we now have a story to tell.
The entire landscape of America has changed since that day; and the plane ticket I had for NY is now only paper, as the airline went out of business in 2002. But it was a small price to pay for the effect that moment had on my life.