12 years ... and a lifetime ago

Today is 9/11.  I don't know if I've posted about 9/11 before, but here I sit, watching 102 Minutes That Changed History on the History Channel.

I've watched this before, it is hard to turn away.

On September 11, 2001 I was working as a State Tax Specialist for CIC Enterprises, a company based on the north side of Indianapolis. I had just taken the job that summer and already knew that it was a bad fit for me -- it was clear that the job and I were a mismatch for a plethora of reasons. I was in my cube, working on my work that morning, listening to WTTS on the radio. We could have radios at my workplace, but only if they were on, softly, so no one else could hear. The news guy broke into the song playing and said a plane had hit the World Trade Center -- then, in what seemed like seconds later, he announced a SECOND plane had hit. I remember standing up suddenly, feeling dizzy and looking around to see if anyone else had their radios on, or perhaps had heard the same news. Another coworker had her radio on and she and I both looked at each other in disbelief.

The news spread quickly and a television was found -- and we watched the news. Some time later that morning, maybe an hour later, our boss came around and told us to get back to work, there was lots to do and we had a lot of reports due to go out in the next few weeks.

I knew then, as I know now, that things would never be the same. A whole country and world had changed. I also knew that "getting back to work" was just another phrase used to try to bring a sense of normal to the unreal.

That night I went over to the Hex's brother and sister-in-law's house for dinner, a family dinner, to bring us all together. I don't remember much about that night other than thinking that I had a business trip in a couple of weeks and I didn't want to fly.

Two weeks later I did fly, to Omaha. Seeing National Guard troops and Army in the airport with machine guns is a sight I will never forget. It was both comforting and surreal.

May we all remember today, remember those lost and remember the day the world changed forever.