It’s just 2 days shy of 10 years ago when I walked into my
matchbox apartment above an engineering firm on a downtown street.
Looking back now, I would have questioned your sanity if you
had tried to tell me that later in life I would end up married and living a quiet
life in the country… (Or at least a semi-quiet life)
10 years later.
10 years is a long time.
That morning I turned on my TV in customary fashion to relax
and unwind after pulling a midnight shift which ended at 8:00am.
It was typical for me to take a few hours to unwind after
work, to “come down” as they say.
But then nothing was typical about that morning.
I was watching the Today Show with what I’m sure were millions
of other Americans when the first news broke about a plane that had slammed
into the World Trade Center in New York.
Then as I watched in horror, live on network television, the
second plane came in…
I remember calling my supervisor, telling him that we were
under attack, and feeling profoundly angry.
I wanted to do something…anything, but it was not to be.
So I tried to go to sleep.
2,977 people went to work that day and never got the chance
to walk into their apartments again.
Never see their kids again.
Never kiss or hold their loved ones again.
Never feel the sun the rain or the wind…again.
I would be willing to venture that the average person doesn’t
wake up each morning only to consider their demise before the day’s setting sun.
But then maybe that’s exactly how we should live our lives.
10 years later.
You see, I don’t want to forget, and I will not reduce the
events of that day to the simple description of being “American history”.
I apologize, but “move on” and “get over” do not apply to
this particular incident.
Have we become “numb” to the idea of it happening again?
It couldn’t possibly happen again.
But then it couldn’t possibly have happened the first time
either…
In 2 days it will be September 11, 2011.
10 years after the fact of a day that I won't forget &
will always remember.
