10 Years Later

One of the things I like about working in the grocery store is getting to work with so many different types of people. Talking with people who are so much older or younger than I am gives me a chance to see things from a variety of different perspectives. Saturday marked the 10th anniversary of 9/11 and I was talking to Billy about what he remembers about the events of that day. He is 17 years old now and was only in first grade in September, 2001. That just seems unbelieveable to me. In some ways it seems like it was just yesterday. I still remember vividly that my college roommate called to me from the living room. She said something like, "Come here quick." I was awake (but just barely) and I was about to get up and get ready to go to my astronomy class (which I found interesting but was really bad at). I was sort of startled by the tone in her voice and I got up pretty quickly and went into the living room where she was watching t.v. We were watching the plane crashing into the first tower. In other ways it seems like a hazy day that happened a long time ago. I asked Billy if he had fully understood what had happened when he heard the news. He sounded slightly offended and said, "Yeah, of course." "Because I was a college student when it happened and I could barely process it." I told him. I remember watching the images and news coverage and I was kind of numb and in denial for the first 1/2 hour or so. I kept thinking there had been some sort of mistake or I had seen a clip from a new action movie. I still don't understand how there could be that much pure hatred in the world--such hatred that the death of thousands of innocent people and mass destruction is planned and carried out. How could Billy or any other 7 year old understand that? It occurred to me that Billy and kids his age all across the country grew up in a different reality. I couldn't help but wondering if they were robbed of a sense of security. I feel like things were much simplier when I was in first grade. I grew up feeling safe and secure--swimming with the neighborhood kids and playing tag. Maybe feeling that way is a natural consequence of getting older--you think times were simplier or things were better and safer when you were a kid.