Not Quite the Friday Five
I am exhausted from the events of this week, but I figured I'd better post something because it's Friday, right?
What a weird day--sometimes I wonder if it will always be weird. In 2001, it was a horrible, terrifying, scary day. I remember hiding in a restroom stall at work to deal with my distress, and wondering why the powers that be wouldn't just let us go home. I really needed to go home. I remember attending something at church later in the day, and it all felt like moving around a haze. Except for the horrible fear in the pit of my stomach that I would die alone. That stuck with me for a long time after that.
In 2002, after we'd been crying all morning, my jerk of a boss gathered everyone in the company around and told us he was closing the business. It takes a cold person to pick that date. Oh, and let some people go that day, too. (That may have been my missed hint to get the heck out of corporate jobs.)
Today was a little different in that I found out that one of my new co-workers had in fact been in one of the towers in NYC on that day. He talked to his classes about it--students who had been in probably first or second grade at the time. They probably don't remember much about life was like before then--things like long security lines at airports are the norm for them. I can't imagine what that teacher went through. He is a really upbeat, personable guy, and it was very brave and generous of him to talk with his students today about what happened as he had experienced it firsthand.
I'm not trying to gloss over the bad things that happened. . . it just is very comforting to think about good things and good people associated with today. Like my fellow teacher. Like the student who thanked me several times when I was able to convert an e-mail attachment for her so she could get the photos she needed for her assignment. Like the social studies teacher who was grateful we were able to fix the sound on her DVD equipment. Like the other teachers who were very friendly to me when we went for drinks after we were done for the day.
On a weird day like today, I remember what (who) was lost. And I take comfort in what (who) can still be good, on a weird day like today.
What a weird day--sometimes I wonder if it will always be weird. In 2001, it was a horrible, terrifying, scary day. I remember hiding in a restroom stall at work to deal with my distress, and wondering why the powers that be wouldn't just let us go home. I really needed to go home. I remember attending something at church later in the day, and it all felt like moving around a haze. Except for the horrible fear in the pit of my stomach that I would die alone. That stuck with me for a long time after that.
In 2002, after we'd been crying all morning, my jerk of a boss gathered everyone in the company around and told us he was closing the business. It takes a cold person to pick that date. Oh, and let some people go that day, too. (That may have been my missed hint to get the heck out of corporate jobs.)
Today was a little different in that I found out that one of my new co-workers had in fact been in one of the towers in NYC on that day. He talked to his classes about it--students who had been in probably first or second grade at the time. They probably don't remember much about life was like before then--things like long security lines at airports are the norm for them. I can't imagine what that teacher went through. He is a really upbeat, personable guy, and it was very brave and generous of him to talk with his students today about what happened as he had experienced it firsthand.
I'm not trying to gloss over the bad things that happened. . . it just is very comforting to think about good things and good people associated with today. Like my fellow teacher. Like the student who thanked me several times when I was able to convert an e-mail attachment for her so she could get the photos she needed for her assignment. Like the social studies teacher who was grateful we were able to fix the sound on her DVD equipment. Like the other teachers who were very friendly to me when we went for drinks after we were done for the day.
On a weird day like today, I remember what (who) was lost. And I take comfort in what (who) can still be good, on a weird day like today.
Comments
But I think you are right to remember the good along with the bad on this day. If that day taught us nothing, I hope it taught us to apprciate life, because it can be over in an instant.