I was a senior in high school. I had the first two periods off, so I was getting ready for school. We always kept news on the tv in the mornings, which I usually ignored. When I passed by the living room on the way to the kitchen, I glanced at the tv. They were showing footage of the first tower, and I thought it looked interesting so I stopped and grabbed the remote to turn the volume up. It didn't hit me immediately- I figured it was some tragic accident or explosion and I didn't even realize a plane had flown into the building.
As I was watching and in the process of turning up the volume, the second tower was hit. Um... what? That's a little strange. I called mom, who was in her room, telling her she needed to see this. She came out and we sat there and watched in silence, letting the story sink in. Then my boyfriend at the time arrived to take us to school, and he hadn't heard anything yet, so we watched the news for a few minutes before we left. I don't know why we went- we did nothing but watch the news all day in every class. Over and over, we saw the footage. It's still surreal to watch it.
Oh, God. Can you imagine the horror of the passengers on the planes? I remember thinking how I'd feel if I was one of the people on the airplanes, taking a normal flight, reading Sky Mall, wondering if this is the time I'm really going to order the enormous crossword puzzle- and in an instant the crossword puzzle doesn't mean shit and I'm fearing for my life.
How I'd feel if it was my family member on the plane, calling me to tell me they were going to die and they loved me.
How about the people in the towers, working a normal day one second and surrounded by carnage the next? The helpless terror.
The full magnitude of what happened has never really hit me. The lives, the people, our country.
We take our safety for granted, and that day I was incredibly thankful for my life.
I can't believe it's already been ten years.
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