Day 287

My dad was an international consultant for many years, and I remember going with my mom to the Atlanta airport to pick him up when he would return from his lengthier trips. I remember one specific trip in 1999 when he’d been gone for two months and was finally home. I kept my shoes on, and we could go to the very gate where his plane landed. I stood at the window and watched for the plane to land. Then, I waited for the plane to roll in so I could run up and hug him.

That would not happen today. My mom and I would wait before security, likely tracking the plane landing on a cell phone app and waiting for my dad to come up the escalator to baggage claim because we couldn’t go to any of the concourses without an airline ticket. 

When I think about that memory today, I wonder if I look back on it as a simpler, happier time because I was younger. Admittedly, that’s part of the reason I see 1999 as a simpler time, but on a day like today, I remember that it was truly simpler because the world had not experienced the deadliest single terrorist attack in human history. Eighteen years ago, I couldn’t quite grasp the extent to which my world would never be the same. Most days, the best I can do is to try to be a good person and never forget the day the world changed for so many people. There’s plenty of evil in the world, but there are also incredible heroes, especially those who made brave and selfless choices on September 11, 2001. In addition to remembering their deeds, it is important to carry out the work of so many heroic and innocent people. Let’s get to it.

Something that made today great: Post-class trip to Superior!

Time I woke up: 7:35 am