That morning, I woke up to get ready for school as usual. My thoughts were far from anything related to my country, terrorism, or anything of the sort. I was a week away from my 16th birthday and I had just been asked to homecoming, which would not only be my first dance, it would be my first date. I was thinking of typical 16 year old things: what I should wear, how should I do my hair, my upcoming date, probably what homework I still needed to finish....
But that all changed quickly. I heard commotion upstairs and ran up to watch the TV to see the events as they were unfolding. I was confused as I heard reports of a plane hitting the first tower. I remember thinking "surely this must be some kind of mistake! How can someone not see a huge tower in front of them??" It quickly became apparent that it was no mistake as we saw a second plane appear and careen into the second tower. I was horrified, yet at a loss for meaning. How could someone do something like that??
I listened to the radio all the way to school and spent the majority of the day watching the reports in each of my classes. I still couldn't grasp the magnitude of what had unfolded. The pentagon? Another plane crashing into a field in Pennsylvania? Where was it headed? How did it happen? As time progressed, I began to understand the devastation that had occurred.
The Flight 93 story became a fascination for me-- I read book after book about it in the years to come. Those on that flight are heroes in every sense of the word - countering the terrorists and taking back control of the plane, knowing full well they would die, but that they would save countless lives at the same time.
It seems unreal that it has been ten years. Ten years. Wow. We were a large part of history that day. I remember the feeling of unity in the country and the added measure of love and compassion people seemed to have for each other. It is sad to me that most of that seems to have faded. Everyone is back to living their own lives, thinking less and less about what happened that day. I wish that sense of unity prevailed.
What I know is that September 11th each year will always be a reminder to me of what our country endured together that day. It will always be significant to me. It was a catalyst that helped me grow up. To be less egocentric.
Did I still worry about my hair, dates, and friends after 9/11? Of course. But I think I also internalized the value of caring for and loving others, regardless of our seeming differences. We are all together in this human race and we are here to help one another as we make our way through. Unity is of utmost importance. That is what I learned from September 11th, 2001.
(P.S. Darn you 20/20 for your segment on 9/11 kids--the kids who were in utero when their fathers passed away in the attacks on 9/11. Tear jerker, for sure.)
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