September 11 is always a rough day for me. 9/11 (I guess that’s its official name) didn’t affect me personally, but the images are vivid and the memories are painful, not only of that day but of the days that followed. For weeks I had trouble sleeping and getting through the days; all I wanted to do was watch the news.
After a few days everyone was back to normal, but I had this lingering terrible feeling about everything. Maybe other people in Texas weren’t as bothered as me because they hadn’t been to New York City at least a dozen times, hadn’t seen the City in all seasons, or slept on the sidewalk for theater tickets, or stood on top of the Empire State Building gazing down at the skyline. Most people in Abilene didn’t have grandmothers who had worked at the Pentagon during WWII, and they probably hadn’t driven through Pennsylvania on their way home for the holidays. Those places are very real to me. I found comfort in knowing that my friend in CT was as upset as I was, but discomfort in seeing how quickly life returned “to normal.”
This September 11 was especially rough. We just got back from Thailand, where we saw devastation from the tsunami. On the plane ride I woke up to see images on the news of what I initially thought to be Iraq or some third world country, only to realize that I was looking at New Orleans. Then comes Sunday, and what day is it? 9/11. I felt a little like I had been punched in the stomach.
It was a hard day to get through.
It’s been a week since this year’s anniversary, and that’s about the distance I needed to write about it. I don’t have anything significant to add, or any theories or politics to throw at it…just remembering, and thinking. Always thinking.
I could not even watch the shows that they ran all day replaying over and over again the planes going into the buildings. I have never been to New York, or any of the other places, but watching that entire morning as it happened was one of the most life changing events in my life.
I know what you mean, S. Thanks for taking me to New York City, both before and after 9/11.
Even though I’ve only been there a couple of times, I feel a connection to the city and long to go back.
they read the names of all the people killed. i could only watch it for so long before i began to get teary-eyed. i agree with what you said about how fast everything went back to normal. i can still remember deliveries at work being delayed up to a week because of it all and this one ignorant customer got angry with me and told me that it wasn’t his problem that the trade centers got bombed- he wanted his film. i will never forget that for as long as i live. take care hun,love ya and miss ya lots!
~j~