Even ten years later, I remember the day like it was yesterday. I was the Office Coordinator in the financial district of Boston. That morning, I got in early, turned on the TV to the "Today Show", and called the O.C. in the NYC office. You see...that morning I was having second thoughts about being there instead of her. I had been given the opportunity to be temporarily placed in our Manhattan office, and had turned it down in favor of staying close to my family. The timing just didn't feel right.
So, I called her to chat while we both waited for staff to roll into both of our offices. We said our "good-byes" just past 8 AM. I should have turned the TV off at that point. But I didn't.
When news flashed that a plane had flown into the North Tower, programming went live to the World Trade Center. I watched live while a second plane flew into the South Tower. In a matter of minutes, the world as I knew it was shattered.
We quickly learned that both of those planes came from Boston. MY airport. The place where I felt SAFE to travel. I was horrified. And, as fighter jets flew overhead, our office was evacuated & we were all sent with the masses to go home and be with our families.
I will never forget the feeling of being packed into the subway that day. You just couldn't help but hug the people that surrounded you. It didn't matter that they were strangers. It didn't matter that you may never see that person again. You gave comfort and received comfort from those around you.
I was one of the last people that my friend ever spoke to. That frightened me for a long time. I felt guilty that it was her, not me. Now, I just hope that our joking gave her a little peace.
I also want to share with you how that day changed me. And how it didn't.
In most ways, I'm still the same person I always was. I learned to trust my gut more. Something told me not to take that job; told me not to turn off the TV that day.
I tell people that I love them more. I used to be better about it...but I still will randomly tell people that matter to me that I love them. You never want people to wonder how you feel about them. :-)
Like the majority of Americans, I feel so much more patriotic than I did before that day. There a renewed dedication to God and country that swept over so many of us. Life became so much more about us instead of it being about me.
I didn't shy away from flying. Three weeks after that fateful day, I got on a plane at Logan and flew to a family reunion in San Antonio. I was in England when we formally declared war. When it's my time...it's my time. I refuse to stop living my life because someone else doesn't agree with the freedoms that Americans are afforded.
Over the years, I've known quite a few people who have practiced the Muslim religion. Even that day, I knew it had absolutely nothing to do with them, and everything to do with a handful of absolute lunatics.
I'm linking my post with Andrea over at My Chihuahua Bites. If you feel like sharing your story, I'd love to read it.
(((HUGS)))
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