Do you remember where you were 5 years ago when the towers were hit? I was at the post office sending an IPAQ that I had won from some contests to the new lucky owner (having just auctioned it off on eBay). I walked into the mail center and looked up at the TV they had hanging on the wall – and saw one of the towers smoking. It was so surreal. I have never witnessed anything so horrific in my lifetime…and hopefully never will again.
We have some friends that lived not far from ground zero during the time of the attacks. They could look out their balcony and see the site – and they could smell the acrid air for weeks. I remember them telling us how dark, gray, and horrible everything looked for such a long time. It was as if they were in the remains of a nuclear holocaust. At least that is how I would imagine it would be. Ashen film covering everything, burning smell in the air, thick fog-like air penetrating every nook and cranny.
We have another friend who had a brother that worked in either one of the towers or a building right beside there – I cannot remember which one. He was telling us that that he was standing in the courtyard area before the towers fell and saw people jumping out of windows, crashing into the awning type structure above the sidewalk. I cannot even imagine what that would have been like – my mind cannot grasp the darkness of it.
I don’t know why I think so much about that day still. I do know that the people that died deserve to be remembered, so I am glad that it affected me and that I do remember them…but I just don’t understand why it made such a HUGE impression on my life. It makes me incredibly sad to think about it. So very sad to remember that day.