What I learned

What have I learned from September 11th.
by Jenn

On September 11, 2001, it was a normal day for me. I got up around 5:30, showered, dressed, and headed out the door. No stop for breakfast, no stopping to turn on the news. I remember the morning was starting to feel rather pleasant as I rode my motorcycle to work. I parked at the back loading dock just around 6:15.

Didn't see the receiving guys like normal, so I headed up to the lab. I ran into the janitor, and she commented to me "It's such a shame about the towers."

Looking rather confused, I said "I don't know what you're talking about." I then went into the lab.

Feeling rather like I had missed something, I tried to load CNN's website, but was not responding. Weird. So I load USAToday. That's when I saw that New York City's twin towers were struck by airplanes. I went kind of numb. I turned on the radio to a talk news station.

I went into my normal pattern. There were mice to take care of, so I got started on that.

I kept the talk radio on while I was working on the mice. I heard that the Pentagon was also hit. Then I heard the first tower fell. The radio station had tuned into a live feed from New York, so I heard the rumble as the second tower fell.

I don't remember what the radio was saying after that. I finished my work, returned to the main lab, and just listened. Lots of talking about the grounding of all flights.

I wondered if someone I had ever met was lost today. I remembered that I would need to remember this day and what I did because in about 50 years, kids would ask me about this day. I remembered that I asked people what it was like to live through the depression, Pearl Harbor, and WWII for school projects. I really remembered how simple life was back then.

I knew everything changed on that day. I took a long lunch that day in the cafeteria, watching the TV they brought in, and talking quietly to strangers. When I left for the day, there was an amazing sunset staring me in the face as I stood in front of my motorcycle. I talked with two strangers about how beautiful it was.

I went home, and snuggled with my kitties. Don't think I ate dinner that night, but just stared at the TV.

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So, I was just "there". I wasn't really living.

After 9/11, I realized that I need to live life. Sure, the pain was hard to do so, but I started with small steps.

I called my Mom the next day. I would call my folks about once a week or so, but after 9/11, we keep in touch more frequently. I go up and see them more often. And they are welcoming me back while I find a new career.

I got my pain relief on 6/2/03. Almost two years after 9/11, but it allowed me to live more.

My relationship that was going nowhere ended. I began to socalize and selectively date. I got setup with my current boyfriend.

I don't know anyone personally that lost their life on that terrible day five years ago. But they taught me to live.