Live every day to the fullest.
In other words: eat more Flourless Chocolate-Chip Cookies.
I struggled with today’s post.
Mostly, I struggled in deciding whether or not to publish any post today. Today: September 11th.
I’d completely forgotten until last night. My initial reaction was to unschedule the recipe post I’d written (ironically enough, for New York-style Cheesecake) and take a day off from blogging, in honor of the victims of 9/11. It seemed wrong and superficial to talk about desserts on the anniversary of a day so many innocent people lost their lives.
However, I’m not sure the victims of September 11th would want that. I think they would want us to honor their memories by celebrating life; by not taking a single moment—or a single person in our lives—for granted. Yes, it’s cliché to say, “Don’t take anything in your life for granted.” But just stop for a second and really think about the meaning behind the cliché. Think about aspects of your life that you do take for granted.
Personally, I can always use a reminder to put the little things—a failed recipe, a bad hair day, even a slow internet connection—in perspective. Likewise with people: instead of getting annoyed at a friend’s bad habit that drives me crazy, I should be grateful the friend is in my life and is therefore able to annoy me.
Also, as horrible as September 11th was, we need to remember that atrocities are still taking place every single day around the world. It’s easy to sit back and pretend we’re being patriotic by waving our American flags and spouting out phrases like: “I’m proud to be an American” and “Support our troops!” But what would really show patriotism would be to get out there and actually do something, whether it be volunteering at a food pantry, writing letters to the brave men and women fighting overseas, etc.
I was so active in high school—visiting nursing homes, making comfort pillows for a local hospital, going to the animal shelter, coordinating service projects through my church… I’m embarrassed to admit that as college work became more time-consuming, I cut back on these other activities and went from helping so many causes to helping very few. I really need to get back into it. Sitting home and pretending to be a good person helps no one.
Question of the Day:
Do you remember where you were on September 11th?
I was in high school, and when my math teacher told us a plane had hit the World Trade Center, I thought he was making a really bad joke. And then some kid did play a really bad joke—he called in a bomb threat to our school, so we spent the rest of the day huddled together in the football stadium. We were hot (It was over 100 degrees), hungry (Our lunches were left in the evacuated building) and scared, with no idea what was going on. Kids didn’t have iphones back then.
But when I got home, I obviously learned that, as bad as my day was, it paled in comparison to the day of so many others.
I think you were right to post this. Of course it is important to pause and remember, but it is also important to get on with life, like you say.
I was at uni 10 years ago (still on summer break), and I had gone to the cinema. We saw the footage on a TV screen in a shop in the shopping centre, and thought it was a film. Then our cinema got evacuated and we went home and realised that what we saw was actually real.
Thanks Katie for this post. I remember that day quite well. The sky was so blue that morning. I was a senior in high school at the time and sitting in biology class. The assistant principal came over the PA system and asked that any girl (it was an all girls’ school) who had family working in the WTC or in lower Manhattan come to the chapel. Living just outside of NYC, there was a real possibility that someone’s parents could have been there (thankfully, that was not the case, though other family members were).
Throughout the rest of the day, the teachers wouldn’t tell us much of anything, but some parents came to pick up their daughters early and even some of the school buses came early. The drive home (for me usually about 90 minutes) was really short because there was no one on the roads. It was so eerie.
I was only in 2nd grade when 9/11 happened and I’d gotten up for school like normal, turned on the tv and saw it played over and over again on the news channel. I had no idea what the World Trade Center was and I didn’t understand what was happening so I got ready for school like it was any other day, watching Nick Jr and eating fruit loops. It was only after school that I found out what happened. Teachers were apparently told not to talk about it during school because it would upset the kids.
It is important to remember and honour, but also to keep going with life.
I was in 6th grade (I think…), I came home on my lunch hour (I’m 6 hours ahead of time here in the Netherlands, so it was in the afternoon here that it happened).
I was only 8 years old but I still remember so well being absolutely consumed by all the images on tv. It was probably one of the first times I watched the news so intensly for a few weeks in a row.
I understood back then what it was, an act of terrorism, and that it was terrible. But I did not see what it would do in the long term.
Now, as I’m older, I find it impossible to watch the documentaries without crying, I find myself getting sick to my stomach and scared seeing pictures of it, but somehow, whenever I think of it, it makes me think how lucky I am with my life.
We had just moved into our new house in Los Angeles. My husband and sister-in-law (who lived with is at the time) were at work, and I was sitting in bed with my nearly 2 month-old son when the phone rang. It was my brother, who was a detective in Dallas, asking if our parents, who lived in Boston, had been on a flight to L.A to visit. He couldn’t reach them and was worried (they were both fine, at work). It was 7 am Pacific time, and I had no idea what was happening. He told me what was happening and I ran to turn on the TV. His wife, my (other) sister-in-law, was a flight attendant for American Airlines at that time but, fortunately, was home. She knew the flight attendants on board the plane that went into Tower 1, however, and she resigned after that day. My brother joined the FBI.
Over the next few days we were able to get in touch with friends and family in New York. Luckily most were fine. A few, however, didn’t make it.
I think you’re ABSOLUTELY right, Katie: the ones who died would want us to live as fully as possible. Thanks for a wonderful post!
I was a freshman in high school, but that morning I was still at home waiting for a friend to arrive before my mom took us to school. We were watching Beverly Hill 90210 when she came in and told us to change the channel to the news. I went to school that day,but we had a moment of silence in our first class, and the rest of the day was extremely quiet and somber.
I think this post is beautiful and I’m really glad you went through and posted it. I found the same thing happening to me– I was very active in my church growing up (my dad became a pastor halfway through so it meant even more activity) but when I went off to college, I spent time doing that stuff less and less.
But I agree with you, this is what they would want. To know they are remembered, but that we’re still living, and living each moment to the fullest.
GIving to others gives us so much in return. I hope that we all can find little ways that make a big difference to give back 🙂
I remember the entire day with such vividness. Living in the tri-state area – many of my classmates, teachers, and friends had loved ones who worked in NYC – or in the WTC. When the first plane hit – I was in Spanish. My uncle (school principal) announced it over the loudspeaker.. but no one was sure if it was an accident.. as a parachuter had gotten caught on the Statue of Liberty only days earlier. Accident or terrorism.. it was still panic at the school… teachers and students desperately trying to contact their family on cell phones..
And when the second plane hit – we knew it was no accident. The rest of the day.. was a blur. But a vivd blur – because I remember every blurry thought that was going through my head.. and every blurry moment I made.
i do remember! i was in college and we all stopped in the dorm hallway to watch. So full of fear. But you are right, we need to stop and remember the good and celebrate life, love, and each other.
I was in the 5th grade (the oldest grade in our school) and all the teachers had been told not to tell us. My teacher (my favorite in all of grade school) knew that we should know what was going on, and were old enough to understand the significance of it. As kids starting finding out more and more the other teachers demanded that we not talk about it-which now looking back was completely ridiculous. I’m currently watching “9/11 Heroes on the 88th Floor” on TLC, i hope the survivors are with family today remembering those who helped them.
Definitely a good choice to post today 🙂
I was nine at the time and it was the first day I was supposed to be able to go outside of school to get lunch, however, once we heard the news we had to stay in. There was a thick grey smoke that started floating over our playground at recess. Then kids started to get picked up…frankly I feel lucky that I was so young and didn’t really know exactly what was going on.
I was a junior in high school, and I noticed on my way to 2nd period that all the tv’s in all the classrooms were on. I thought it was odd, so I went straight to class to see what was going on. My 2nd period class was, ironically, American History, and we watched the second plane hit. The rest of the day is a bit of a blur.
I was a sophomore in high school. We were just starting English class when the announcement came over the PA system. As we learned more my teacher stopped class, and we listened to the news reports coming in. My English teacher told us we would never forget where we were on that day, and I never have. Honestly I had never been to New York, and really didn’t know what the World Trade Center was, but one of my friends had been to New York many times and she was very upset. After awhile we were all sent home from school. I remember everyone hurriedly packed their things and talked quietly as they left. I found my younger brother and we left quickly. As we were driving down the main street in the city we were met with lines of cars trying to get into the gas stations! The price of gas had gone up to $4.00 within an hour ( Back when gas being $1.95 was considered high!) of the attacks, and everyone was panicked it would go up further. At home I watched the news, and wondered what else might happen. It was a very strange day, because for the first time in my life I didn’t know if I had the security of living in a country where I didn’t have to be afraid of terrorists.
It’s scary to think what we’ll consider high gas prices ten years from now 😕
I was at school too, I was way younger and didn’t even think about it being a big deal. I cannot believe its been 10 years…
This is a beautiful post Katie. I remember that day so well! My grandparents picked me up from school (I was 7!) and they were totally panicked because they couldn’t get hold of the rest of our family, who lived within a few blocks of Ground Zero. Thank God it turned out they were safe, but it was a scary time, and I pray for all those who lost their lives and for those who lost loved ones. Never forgotten <3
DITTO i was 7 and jut got picked up from school.. i had a friend over for a playdate and mymom was lie I NEED THE TV. which NEVER HAPPENED.
im so happy your family was safe emma!
You are thoughtful with your words Katie. 🙂
I was driving to move from CO to OR with my boyfriend(now husband) to get ready for the upcoming snowboard season. It is still so hard to think this did and could of happened…
I plan on spending today as a celebration for how lucky we all are and how much i love my loved ones. 🙂