Nine years ago on 9/11, I got up and went to work like I normally do. There was nothing special about the day. At the time I ran a shelter. I had the morning house meeting and organized the day. I helped a few residents resolve a problem. I did a little paperwork. Then I got in my car and drove to the main office.
As I stood in the lobby, waiting for the elevator a random person commented that we had been attacked. Attacked by who? Terrorists. Where?
In reality, i expected to hear a foreign military base. Or an embassy. Because we can't be touched on American soil in this country. It wasn't arrogance in that we were untouchable. It was more ignorance in, well, how would they get here?
Here? Here, where? NYC. What? Did not compute. I flashed back to images of Oklahoma City. I remember skipping through the channels with OKC happened and seeing the images and assuming that it was the middle east. Because, again, it couldn't possibly be American soil. right? NYC?? How?
When I walked into the office, my co-workers had pulled out the TV and had it on. It didn't matter what channel. And just a few minutes after walking into the office, Tower One collapsed. I think I stood there for about 20 minutes with my chin on the floor. There were no words. Because it wasn't real. I lived in a world where this didn't happen. I could not process it.
As the day unfolded I wondered if we would ever recover. We did. But life was never the same again. I did not know anybody who died that day. I was not personally touched. But I was personally affected. My life changed. Just like everyone else that day.
It is a day I will remember for the rest of my life.
Mean Mama
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