Me

9-11

I wasn’t going to blog about it this year. It’s not a matter of forgetting, or moving on, so much as I don’t want it to seem like this is the only day of the year that I remember. A few things happened today… small things, really… that made me feel like I needed to write something.

I don’t live in NY and never have, although I lived across the river for a number of years. I didn’t lose anyone that day, although I had a few friends who worked in the WTC and I was living/working in Boston at the time. There are a lot of people who have more claim to sorrow, horror, fear.

With that said, NYC is special to me. There are a lot of reasons, some more important than others, but the point is that I have a hard time even thinking about the events of 9-11.  I was talking with a friend today who told me that she was traveling for work on that day and found herself in a part of the country where people felt removed from the attacks. They were upset, angry, and so on, but they weren’t touched in the same way we were. I was surprised. It hadn’t crossed my mind that there were people who didn’t feel personally invested in this tragedy. It makes sense, I guess, because there are plenty of global incidents that upset me, but don’t change who I am as a person. Still, it caught me off guard.

9-11 was a turning point. I think of my life as before and after that day, not in a melodramatic way, but just as reality. Things changed. I changed. Six years later, I am acknowledging those changes, and remembering those who lost lives and loved ones. It may sound like a cliche’ to say I’ll never forget, but it’s true. The events of the day have shaped who I am as a person today.