On 9/11 I was working at the airport. It was obviously a tense day filled with every increasing bad news and the frantic whir of a teletype printer that never really stopped until late in the evening.
At some point, we collectively decided to go down to our cargo warehouse. That's where we clocked in/out, and they had a better TV anyway.
To make a long story longer, as we were watching the graveyard lead arrived to start his shift. He couldn't understand what we were all doing, and why weren't we working our flights?! Somebody just pointed to the TV. Rudy Giuliani was still sane at that point, and giving an update to the press.
Our lead had gone home that morning before the attacks, slept during the day, and made it through the evening and his commute never hearing a word about what had happened. He was likely the last person in the metro area to find out the world had changed.
Anytime I think about my content diet, or hear someone cry that we all need to "stay informed," I think about that. Really that's just a call to be miserable and on edge 24/7. No thanks.
Like you, the bad news found him anyway (it always does). But for almost an entire day, he just did his thing, blissfully unaware. There's a lesson in there for all of us, I think.
I got chills reading that. Still processing why, but you really added something with this story and thoughts. I can’t imagine A) working in an airport when this happened, or B) having someone arrive in the evening and really not know what happened. Then again, we weren’t as digitally connected then as we are today. And sometimes I long for those unconnected days.
One of my favorite quotes: “The people who influence us most are not those who buttonhole us and talk to us, but those who live their lives like the stars in heaven and the lilies in the field, perfectly simply and unaffectedly. Those are the lives that mould” Oswald Chambers
THIS... love this. Needing positive reads right now, this post filled that need. I love writing about gratitude. I believe it's our only way around the mess of living. Thank you. 💟
A beautiful, life-affirming post, Holly. Thank you - I’ve taken great delight in reading it.
I’m the only person I know who missed out on the news of 9/11 until at least hours, possibly I think even days, later. I was midway through a lengthy hospital stay. I remember the mixed-up reports from people as ill as me trying to explain it to me afterwards - it was so desperately shocking I felt I must have died and this was my awful new reality.
Standing strong with those who were there, affected, bereaved, blindsided.
Years ago I was walking along a sidewalk, and really noticed for the first time something I had seen a million times: Concrete sparkles in sunlight. A weird loop started in my brain: No, it can't be, concrete is ugly, utilitarian stuff. But those sparkles are pretty! Not if they're part of something we think of as ugly. Is it ugly? Maybe not...? And so on. The point being that the most mundane things can have an odd sort of beauty if you are open to it. And a gesture like the jalapenos? A bigger deal than it seems. After all, you wrote about it and now we all know about it.
I loved the feeling as you exited the fog of bad news. One of my sons, an economist, shares a phrase with any who might listen. It reinforces, and I hop that perhaps I had a hand in inspiring the expression. My Nick likes to say "I miss the good old days, when crime was higher and real GDP was lower". What are the realities? It seems assured that crime has been dropping for at least the last 10,000 years. The facts about our indirect measure of well-being, GDP is even more striking. Nick and I often share the joke that the most powerful person on Earth, the King or Queen of England only 150 years ago faced misery and life challenges inconceivable in the modern world. I LOVED THIS POST as you put your concerns in the rearview mirror.
I was at my job when 9/11 happened. The HR lady came and told me. I don't know why she came to me but she did. My co-workers and I immediately started pulling up the video on the Internet. My boss was in New York at the time. We didn't know where he was at. A few hours later, I decided to go home. Other companies were having their employees leave work and go home too. We found out the next day that he was safe and that he had not been near the chaos.
Every 9/11 I wear a special shirt I received from an NYPD ESU Officer. It honors the NYPD ESU (Emergency Services Unit) Officers that were killed. It has the two towers and the names of the officers who gave their lives with their respective ESU #s.
Nice to see you always seem to stumble into some free vegetables. :)
That's a great way to pay homage to those who lost their lives, Matthew. And I can't imagine how you all must have felt waiting for word from your boss!
I have also recently discussed the affairs of the world with my wife. The very real threat of a madman in Europe using nuclear weapons to scratch his narcissistic itch is definitely a reason to stop and contemplate the what ifs that are going on all around us... Like you, I rarely turn on the TV unless it is to watch some silly comedy for an hour break in the evening. The news and human cruelty is a bit overwhelming at times...and unlike you, my wife and I are grateful we have not brought children into the world. It is hard to find the light at times...
But then...a trip into nature, perhaps a few hours photographing birds or other creatures often ignored, lights a light of hope inside of me. Everything seems more colorful...more peaceful. By looking mindfully and closely at the natural world, my own sight improves and I once again see the goodness in humans. I see the smiles. I see the small gestures of one person helping another. I am reminded of an eternal positive universe or God or whatever I decide to name that loving force...and my load is lighter...
Thanks for sharing your piece on humanity - it made me think - then think again. Plus, I love the story of the jalapeños. I have 3 plants that produced a lot this year and it's been a great time preserving them as gifts to simply giveaway...
Jack, my husband and I often lament the world that our grandchildren (and their own line of offspring) will have to endure. But maybe they will also find some light. I hope, but I just don't know.
It's important to be in the now, throwing a stone of goodness into the water so that its ripples may affect change that goes on long after we're gone. I think a gift of preserved jalapenos could be one of those ripples.
You should consider doing a collab with Kerri Aab of 3 Small Smiles. She’s on vacay now, but this is something she might like to cross post to her audience
On 9/11 I was working at the airport. It was obviously a tense day filled with every increasing bad news and the frantic whir of a teletype printer that never really stopped until late in the evening.
At some point, we collectively decided to go down to our cargo warehouse. That's where we clocked in/out, and they had a better TV anyway.
To make a long story longer, as we were watching the graveyard lead arrived to start his shift. He couldn't understand what we were all doing, and why weren't we working our flights?! Somebody just pointed to the TV. Rudy Giuliani was still sane at that point, and giving an update to the press.
Our lead had gone home that morning before the attacks, slept during the day, and made it through the evening and his commute never hearing a word about what had happened. He was likely the last person in the metro area to find out the world had changed.
Anytime I think about my content diet, or hear someone cry that we all need to "stay informed," I think about that. Really that's just a call to be miserable and on edge 24/7. No thanks.
Like you, the bad news found him anyway (it always does). But for almost an entire day, he just did his thing, blissfully unaware. There's a lesson in there for all of us, I think.
I got chills reading that. Still processing why, but you really added something with this story and thoughts. I can’t imagine A) working in an airport when this happened, or B) having someone arrive in the evening and really not know what happened. Then again, we weren’t as digitally connected then as we are today. And sometimes I long for those unconnected days.
Same here! I wonder what it would've been like if something like FB or Twitter had existed?
It's funny how it's usually these small gestures, not grand ones, that seem to remind of us our better angels. Thanks for sharing, Holly.
One of my favorite quotes: “The people who influence us most are not those who buttonhole us and talk to us, but those who live their lives like the stars in heaven and the lilies in the field, perfectly simply and unaffectedly. Those are the lives that mould” Oswald Chambers
THIS... love this. Needing positive reads right now, this post filled that need. I love writing about gratitude. I believe it's our only way around the mess of living. Thank you. 💟
❤️
A beautiful, life-affirming post, Holly. Thank you - I’ve taken great delight in reading it.
I’m the only person I know who missed out on the news of 9/11 until at least hours, possibly I think even days, later. I was midway through a lengthy hospital stay. I remember the mixed-up reports from people as ill as me trying to explain it to me afterwards - it was so desperately shocking I felt I must have died and this was my awful new reality.
Standing strong with those who were there, affected, bereaved, blindsided.
Another perspective I never imagined. That just goes to show there is always a story for every human we sometimes simplify into broad categories. ❤️
Years ago I was walking along a sidewalk, and really noticed for the first time something I had seen a million times: Concrete sparkles in sunlight. A weird loop started in my brain: No, it can't be, concrete is ugly, utilitarian stuff. But those sparkles are pretty! Not if they're part of something we think of as ugly. Is it ugly? Maybe not...? And so on. The point being that the most mundane things can have an odd sort of beauty if you are open to it. And a gesture like the jalapenos? A bigger deal than it seems. After all, you wrote about it and now we all know about it.
Funny what grabs our attention. I’ve never considered concrete sparkles...until now.
Holly,
I loved the feeling as you exited the fog of bad news. One of my sons, an economist, shares a phrase with any who might listen. It reinforces, and I hop that perhaps I had a hand in inspiring the expression. My Nick likes to say "I miss the good old days, when crime was higher and real GDP was lower". What are the realities? It seems assured that crime has been dropping for at least the last 10,000 years. The facts about our indirect measure of well-being, GDP is even more striking. Nick and I often share the joke that the most powerful person on Earth, the King or Queen of England only 150 years ago faced misery and life challenges inconceivable in the modern world. I LOVED THIS POST as you put your concerns in the rearview mirror.
That's a fabulous quote, Mark, and tell Nick I may have to use it!
We've been using it for years.
I was at my job when 9/11 happened. The HR lady came and told me. I don't know why she came to me but she did. My co-workers and I immediately started pulling up the video on the Internet. My boss was in New York at the time. We didn't know where he was at. A few hours later, I decided to go home. Other companies were having their employees leave work and go home too. We found out the next day that he was safe and that he had not been near the chaos.
Every 9/11 I wear a special shirt I received from an NYPD ESU Officer. It honors the NYPD ESU (Emergency Services Unit) Officers that were killed. It has the two towers and the names of the officers who gave their lives with their respective ESU #s.
Nice to see you always seem to stumble into some free vegetables. :)
That's a great way to pay homage to those who lost their lives, Matthew. And I can't imagine how you all must have felt waiting for word from your boss!
Great story and quite a lot to digest.
I have also recently discussed the affairs of the world with my wife. The very real threat of a madman in Europe using nuclear weapons to scratch his narcissistic itch is definitely a reason to stop and contemplate the what ifs that are going on all around us... Like you, I rarely turn on the TV unless it is to watch some silly comedy for an hour break in the evening. The news and human cruelty is a bit overwhelming at times...and unlike you, my wife and I are grateful we have not brought children into the world. It is hard to find the light at times...
But then...a trip into nature, perhaps a few hours photographing birds or other creatures often ignored, lights a light of hope inside of me. Everything seems more colorful...more peaceful. By looking mindfully and closely at the natural world, my own sight improves and I once again see the goodness in humans. I see the smiles. I see the small gestures of one person helping another. I am reminded of an eternal positive universe or God or whatever I decide to name that loving force...and my load is lighter...
Thanks for sharing your piece on humanity - it made me think - then think again. Plus, I love the story of the jalapeños. I have 3 plants that produced a lot this year and it's been a great time preserving them as gifts to simply giveaway...
Peace
Jack, my husband and I often lament the world that our grandchildren (and their own line of offspring) will have to endure. But maybe they will also find some light. I hope, but I just don't know.
It's important to be in the now, throwing a stone of goodness into the water so that its ripples may affect change that goes on long after we're gone. I think a gift of preserved jalapenos could be one of those ripples.
You should consider doing a collab with Kerri Aab of 3 Small Smiles. She’s on vacay now, but this is something she might like to cross post to her audience
Thanks, Nikhil! I’ll check it out when I return from vacay (seems that’s a theme this week!).
https://threesmallsmiles.substack.com