We Remember...

I can tell you what I was doing 5 years ago today.

I was at DCollege and was just getting ready to student teach. So, for my seminar, I had class at 7 a.m. and it was supposed to go until noon. But, that day our professor needed to go to a meeting, so we were having a break from 8:00ish-10:30ish, I can't remember the exact time for sure. I was excited because that meant I could go to the newspaper meeting and meet with the staff (which included Jeff) and our new professor.

I remember during our break (we were working on projects) Megan came up and told us that our country was 'going to pot.' WTH? She told us to turn on the television...but we couldn't find one that would come in. We did find a ratty old radio and tried to listen to that, but we were only picking up bits and parts... something about New York and air planes...Truthfully, it sounded like one of those alien-hoaxes we had heard so much about. But, we finally found a television in a classroom which was only picking up antennae feed in a snowy black and white...and it was picking up CBS--a station I rarely ever watch.

I walked into that classroom just in time to see the Twin Towers fall. I kept on thinking that those towers were in Germany for some odd reason...I know it sounds odd, but I couldn't comprehend what was going on at that time.

Anyway, I ended up going to that newspaper meeting early (the seminar students decided that we were NOT going to have class anymore) and finding Jeff and our professor in the newspaper office. Being true to our news-junkie (OK, my news-junkie) mindset we talked about what was going on and how we were witnessing history.

Witnessing history?

That was morbid.

People died right in front of my eyes on the television screen.

The news about the Pentagon and Flight 93... I knew my world as I had known it had changed.

The innocence my generation had had up until that point was gone. We, a super power, were vulnerable. I felt vulnerable. I went to college about 30 miles away from Bellevue, NE...where the President landed that day. There also happens to be a power plant of the nuclear type not too far from my undergraduate school, either.

I've never admitted this to anyone, but I was so scared that I slept on my couch out in my living room with not only the television on, but also all the lights in my apartment. Do you remember what was on television for 2 weeks straight?? I didn't have cable, so it was news about the attacks 24/7. I slept out there 3 or 4 nights. I have been afraid of the dark since I was little, but it was 10-times worse to be alone for those couple nights.

Besides the newspaper, I was also working at Burger King at the same time...I was so scared some idiot was going to come through there and kill us, because we had some non-whites who worked there (yes, I lived in hick-ville Nebraska at that time--I DO NOT MISS THE RACISM) and some of the people going through the drive-thru were telling us how bad other races were. I wanted to pop the idiots in the face...Ignorance is not a reason for stupidity.

I also remember going to church that weekend and left at my usual time, only to find ONE SEAT available...when usually I would find a 1/2 full church.

Now, I'm looking back 5 years later and realize how much life has changed...I have changed...

I told Jeff the other day that one of the reasons I wanted to be a writer was to change lives of others... and yet it has been others who have changed mine.