Never Forget: 14 Years Later

I remember exactly where I was on September 11, 2001. I was in high school sitting in the second row of Mrs. Reedus’s english class. Suddenly an all call came over the intercom, telling the teachers to turn on the news. There had been an “act of terrorism” against the country. We all watched in shock. It felt uncomfortable to sit there safely in Florida, while knowing other parts of the nation were experiencing such terror.

14 years later, I now work just a few blocks from Ground Zero and the Freedom Tower (here’s a picture of the latter from my office).

It’s my fifth year living here on September 11. I’ve noticed that New Yorkers tend to be a bit more solemn and a little kinder on this day, which isn’t necessarily surprising. I imagine some of them are just grateful to have survived, to be alive.

Just this morning, I had a warming conversation with a stranger on the train (I can count the number of times this has happened on one hand). As I walked to work, I saw a group of police officers in their formal uniforms, hats off in honor of the fallen. There were even more tourists on the streets as usual, going to see the 9/11 Museum, the memorial pools and Freedom Tower.

It felt important to take a moment to share some thoughts today. It’s all just hitting very close to home right now… we can never forget.

 

 

 

 

 

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