Grateful

I woke up this morning and got my coffee then climbed back in bed and turned on the TV to watch the news. It’s 9/11… I felt so stupid that I hadn’t seen that coming. All day yesterday I was at the office writing the date and it never occurred to me that 9/11 was coming?

Like everyone else I remember where I was when it happened. I had just returned to London from the Canary Islands and was already in my own international life crisis. It was afternoon in London and I was on the phone with Dan here in the states. It was early morning here and we were discussing my return to the states and planning the start of Greentree & Associates. He put me on hold for a second and came back on the line and told me a plane had hit one of the twin towers. We hung up and literally every cell phone and phone in the flat started ringing. I answered the house phone and it was Scott yelling at me to turn on the TV. Scott and I were breaking up and we were barely speaking so it was kind of a strange feeling to even hear his voice let alone the tension and forcefulness in it. I turned on the TV and started changing channels thinking the same movie was on every station. It took a few seconds for it to really sink in that this was real.

We sat there in silence watching the same footage over and over. Then the second plane hit. For the next hour it literally felt like it was never going to end. The news in Europe posted maps of the U.S. with the words “America under attack”. It was a nightmare. It took hours to get thru to my mother in the states and when I finally got thru we stayed on the phone for more than an hour not wanting to break the connection. I wanted to get home immediately but that door had closed and I was stuck in Europe whether I liked it or not until further notice. Thus began the almost two weeks of waiting for a flight to get home and the constant questioning of my decision not only to get on a plane but to leave Scott and London.

Tony Blair was on the television addressing Americans that were in England. He told us we were safe however suggested we avoid public congregation…

There were several temper tantrums and tears during the several days I was waiting to come home. My whole life felt like a mess. Scott and I have talked at length about those days and how we felt. We have wondered about what would have happened if we had made different choices but in the end it is clear that we are exactly who we are supposed to be and where we are supposed to be now. I really cherish his friendship and appreciate that we remain friends to this day. We went thru a really crazy couple years roaming around the planet being young and stupid. Good times…

This morning I sat in bed watching the news with Milo and Benny and thought about that day 9 years ago. How different everything is now and how even after all this time when I think about the people on flight 93 and the people in the towers I still get emotional. Sometimes when I think back to that time in my life I don’t even recognize myself. I’m so grateful for the life that I have now and actually grateful for the lessons I learned from the life I had then. Today I think I will hug Benny a couple more times than usual and make sure to call my ma & pa and tell them I love them. Today I will be grateful…