Writer’s Block: 9/11

I was in the shower when my partner at the time, Jay, came home after having left for work about 15 minutes earlier. He stuck his head in the bathroom and said, “Terrorists just flew planes into the World Trade Center!” I thought he was making a bad joke but followed him out to the living room, still dripping wet, and saw the truth of it.

Later during the day I drove to the Red Cross office in Taylor to see about giving blood, and was struck by how connected I felt to everyone else out on the road. It also felt as if everyone else felt that exact same connection. Everyone was driving sedately and politely: no cut-offs, no speeding, no sudden lane changes. For that one day, and briefly afterward, we were all truly united; if we could feel that way all the time, without the accompanying tragedy as a catalyst, the world would be a much more peaceful place.