Do you remember what you were doing 7 years ago today? I got up and went to work like any other day. I was still married and ex was a stay at home dad to our two children. Our son was in preschool three days a week but not on Tuesdays.
I had been at work for about an hour when we first heard that a plane had crashed into the north tower of the Trade Center. One of the girls on my floor was on the phone with her brother and all of the sudden you could heard him yelling “Holy shit! There’s another one! It hit the other tower!” All of the sudden everybody was talking at once. People were still coming into work and were just learning what had happened. We quit working and everyone started talking, noise and buzz all around me.
I remember sitting at my desk and thinking my world had just changed drastically. Finally my manager came over to me and asked, “Are you okay?” You see I am a talker and for me to be sitting quietly is complete out of my nature. An hour later I left for home, the roads were empty. When I got home ex had to leave for his National Guard Armory. So it was me, Chandler and Grace. Like every other American I was glued to the television.
This summer while I was at the lake late one night I was sitting with two of New York City’s Bravest and asked them about it. Neither of them were firefighters on September 11th, the four younger guys all got on shortly after. They had all been on a list waiting for their chance to get on. The harsh reality is the list moved quickly and the four younger guys started training several months later.
Having spent three days with a dozen New York City’s Bravest I have a new found respect for them. They have a heart warming camaraderie. They argue withpassion and defend each other with just as much passion. Everything I have always imagined them to be, they were. Strong, hard working, hard playing, good looking, they were. And when I imagine the firefighters that rushed into the twin towers that day I am certain they were guys just like mine.
I wonder what they will do today. On the anniversary of the day my world changed and their future took a new course.
