The world is an island now
Sep. 11th, 2011 04:36 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
rachg82I'm up late tonight, angsting over whether my unemployment claim will be successfully reopened and, if so, whether this last week will count, etc, and I figured it might be a good time to refocus my attention somewhere less crazy-making. I'm not going to know either way until Tuesday, so there's really no point in stressing (of course that's not going to stop me, but nevermind that). Especially since regardless of financial woes, today of all days is a giant reminder of one thing: at least I'm alive. I'm not always thrilled by that fact, but even so, right now? I'd prefer to be not dead. That might change a day from now, or a week from now, but *now* is where I am, so there you go.
And I know some would rather treat this like any other day, not make a production out of it, and I get that--and respect/don't judge it--but for me, I've always felt it was important to remember significant events when I can. Not as an obligatory type thing, but simply because it's just the way I am. I'm retrospective like that.
That being said, this is one of those entries where I almost feel like it cheapens things to allow comments. The post should just stand for itself. It's not looking for a response. Y'know?
Rather than come up with some poignant look back at the ten years that have passed, however, I'm just gonna keep it simple & type up my private diary entry from that day. I of course won't edit or correct anything, so bear that in mind. You're dealing with 19 year old Rachael here, not 29 year old Rachael.
--
Sept. 11, 2001
When I got up today, if I had thought I'd be writing about today being a significant day, I would have thought it would be because I remember today is the birthday of Megan. After about 30 seconds, however, I found there was a lot more to today than that.
I was woken up by Corinne at about 8:30 in the morning. She had been calling repeatedly for about an hour (some of the rings I heard, but was too half-asleep and unaware to get them). Finally I got sick of hearing them and was about to call her (because I saw she left a message) when she beat me to it.
I thought @ first something had happenned to Mom based on how she sounded when she called (and past experiences teaching me to be wary of any early-morning phone calls!).
Having been woken up after only 6 1/2 hrs. sleep (and it being late now), I'm too tired to go into details about the insanity today in this country right now, but I wanted to mark the moment in this journal. Glued to the news all day long, this still seems totally unreal. And only seems more so as time goes by.
With such a magnificent loss of life and tragedy of this magnitude, it's hard to appreciate the fear and sorrow the families of these people must be feeling right now, and to take in the horror of how many lives have been stolen. All those people got up this morning, got on those planes, went to work, walked down the street even, never expecting terrorists would end that day for them like this. I can't even imagine. The people on that plane as it hit the tower, the people trapped in the collapsing aftermath…I really can't even formulate words to describe how that must be, the terror and desperation they must have gone through. My heart breaks for them and the people they're leaving behind.
Those people were just like me, with family and loved ones, who they'll never get to say goodbye to.
The issues over what will be done is a whole other matter, one I am far too tired to get into just yet. All I can say on that front is how concerned I am for the common civilians of Afghanistan who have nothing to do w/ Bin Laden regardless of whether he is indeed to be blamed, and who are as helpless as the people hijacked on those flights.
They, along with the injured, dead, and trapped victims struggling to be found still (if any still are alive in the rubble), and all who are missing them tonight will be in my thoughts and prayers not just now but I imagine for a long time. I know I will never forget what I saw on the TV today. People leaping from 110 stories is not something one can forget. We all suspected an attack someday, somewhere, but I think I can speak for most right now when I write that I never expected it now, or like this.
---
Ending this, I will add at least one more thing: I watched a special last night on TLC about Frank De Martini and Pablo Ortiz, and I think of all the coverage I could've seen, that was the right pick. I've said before that 9-11 was like the best & worst of humanity, all put on film for the world to see, and those two men exemplify that. Simply because they were willing to face death, more than 70 others got to live. When you get past all the bullshit, all the douchery that the human race is capable of, it's good to remember that people can actually be that fundamentally kind.
I'll leave everyone now with one of my favorite songs, performed by the BBC orchestra on 9/15/01 in honor of those who died:
And I know some would rather treat this like any other day, not make a production out of it, and I get that--and respect/don't judge it--but for me, I've always felt it was important to remember significant events when I can. Not as an obligatory type thing, but simply because it's just the way I am. I'm retrospective like that.
That being said, this is one of those entries where I almost feel like it cheapens things to allow comments. The post should just stand for itself. It's not looking for a response. Y'know?
Rather than come up with some poignant look back at the ten years that have passed, however, I'm just gonna keep it simple & type up my private diary entry from that day. I of course won't edit or correct anything, so bear that in mind. You're dealing with 19 year old Rachael here, not 29 year old Rachael.
--
Sept. 11, 2001
When I got up today, if I had thought I'd be writing about today being a significant day, I would have thought it would be because I remember today is the birthday of Megan. After about 30 seconds, however, I found there was a lot more to today than that.
I was woken up by Corinne at about 8:30 in the morning. She had been calling repeatedly for about an hour (some of the rings I heard, but was too half-asleep and unaware to get them). Finally I got sick of hearing them and was about to call her (because I saw she left a message) when she beat me to it.
I thought @ first something had happenned to Mom based on how she sounded when she called (and past experiences teaching me to be wary of any early-morning phone calls!).
Having been woken up after only 6 1/2 hrs. sleep (and it being late now), I'm too tired to go into details about the insanity today in this country right now, but I wanted to mark the moment in this journal. Glued to the news all day long, this still seems totally unreal. And only seems more so as time goes by.
With such a magnificent loss of life and tragedy of this magnitude, it's hard to appreciate the fear and sorrow the families of these people must be feeling right now, and to take in the horror of how many lives have been stolen. All those people got up this morning, got on those planes, went to work, walked down the street even, never expecting terrorists would end that day for them like this. I can't even imagine. The people on that plane as it hit the tower, the people trapped in the collapsing aftermath…I really can't even formulate words to describe how that must be, the terror and desperation they must have gone through. My heart breaks for them and the people they're leaving behind.
Those people were just like me, with family and loved ones, who they'll never get to say goodbye to.
The issues over what will be done is a whole other matter, one I am far too tired to get into just yet. All I can say on that front is how concerned I am for the common civilians of Afghanistan who have nothing to do w/ Bin Laden regardless of whether he is indeed to be blamed, and who are as helpless as the people hijacked on those flights.
They, along with the injured, dead, and trapped victims struggling to be found still (if any still are alive in the rubble), and all who are missing them tonight will be in my thoughts and prayers not just now but I imagine for a long time. I know I will never forget what I saw on the TV today. People leaping from 110 stories is not something one can forget. We all suspected an attack someday, somewhere, but I think I can speak for most right now when I write that I never expected it now, or like this.
---
Ending this, I will add at least one more thing: I watched a special last night on TLC about Frank De Martini and Pablo Ortiz, and I think of all the coverage I could've seen, that was the right pick. I've said before that 9-11 was like the best & worst of humanity, all put on film for the world to see, and those two men exemplify that. Simply because they were willing to face death, more than 70 others got to live. When you get past all the bullshit, all the douchery that the human race is capable of, it's good to remember that people can actually be that fundamentally kind.
I'll leave everyone now with one of my favorite songs, performed by the BBC orchestra on 9/15/01 in honor of those who died:
