Where Were You The Day Our World Changed?

I think it's the most common thing I hear about September 11, 2001.  History is more than just the facts, it is how events shape people, cultures, and even the future.  Where were you when all hell broke loose on that day?

I had called in sick to work, I remember my back was out from having moved some furniture, and work was slow anyway.  My future husband had gone on in to get what little work there was wrapped up and delivered (family printing business).  He called on his way to work and said a plane had hit one of the two towers in New York.  Even though I'm from a piddly little city in the Midwest, I knew those towers.  I flipped on the news right as the second one hit and they knew it wasn't an accident.

I sat and watched the news for eight solid hours.  For the first time in my life, I was afraid that our whole country was under attack.  Such a concept was groundbreaking for a mostly innocent 25-year-old.  War was in other places, it wasn't supposed to be here.  Then I saw the people jumping to avoid burning to death, and my heart broke.  I cannot imagine facing such a choice, or the fear and pain that went along with making jumping off a building look like the best option.  I'm more afraid of heights than I admit, so this remains my own personal terror.  That's what haunts me when I look back to that day.  A close second is knowing your plane is going to crash and yet somehow that's the right thing to do.  What madness that must have been for those people.  And for their loved ones who knew the score.

That day, everything was different.  Our world was turned upside down and we were all uncertain what the next few minutes might bring.  Volunteers flooded out to assist, the entire country halted and took care of their own.  We were damaged and terrified, and yet we may never have been that strong as a people since.  The attackers showed their brutality, and we showed our goodness in the face of evil.  Even though we lost a lot of lives, we reminded the world what we are really made of, and though the stereotype of the rude fat American was already well in place, the world did its best to protect and comfort us while we recovered.  Did we ever thank them?  I don't recall if we did, there was so much news overload that a lot of details were lost.

From tragedy comes learning, and I hope that most of us learned a few lessons.  There are no guarantees in life, tell your loved ones that you love them every single day, and keep your eyes open.  We're not exempt from war or loss, nor are we any less likely to be thrown into chaos today.  Our generation experienced its Pearl Harbor, and we were reminded that our liberty and lifestyle comes with a price tag. That day we paid, and big time.

I think the thing I took away from that time is the realization that things can change quickly, and we must be prepared for what life throws at us.  Oh sure, we talk about the country going to hell but most of the time that comes from a (false) assurance that things really are going to be okay, this is just a bump in the road.  Instead of waiting for the government to clean everything up, people were forced to act as individuals, and fancy houses or nice clothes didn't mean a damn thing.  In a blink, in a single moment, everything can change. Our country can be devastated, and the people may not be able to prevent it.  Any one of us can be called to action, much like the heroes on the plane who figured it out and saved lives, or the rescue unites who were going about their normal day before a plane came out of the sky.  It's easy to take shots at government, but the real question that day was what happens when the ball is in your court?  Would you stand up, collapse in fear, or turn the other cheek?  This is what defines our country.  Us.