Remembering Sept 11, 10 years ago

September 11, 10 years later

I don’t know that I’ve ever written down my thoughts on 9-11 but as we look back to that day 10 years ago, I figured it was a good time to go back and remember that day.

I always remember Mom and Dad talking about they remember where they were when President Kennedy was shot, or when Elvis died, but luckily enough for us, other than the Challenger explosion, there hadn’t been to many of those moments in my life.

That obviously all changed on September 11, 2001.

I had moved back to the Raleigh, NC area in February of 2001 working for Bayer CropScience in Research Triangle Park.

I remember it being a beautiful day. Maybe in the upper 70’s and clear as a bell.

I remember wearing a new outfit that day. A red pencil skirt and striped button up matching blouse from the Limited and my Nine West wedge sandals.

I was on Eastern Time zone in North Carolina and was at my desk which was in a big open cubicle area with about 6 others. I had my clock radio on my favorite rock station and I heard them say something about a plane hitting the World Trade Center in New York.

Seriously, I don’t know that I even knew what the World Trade Center was until that day, but obviously it was an awful accident.

And an accident is what I thought it was and went on about my business at work. Then a few minutes later they mention that another plane had hit the other Tower. Now something very wrong was happening.

I remember trying to log onto cnn.com to figure out what was happening but it was so bogged down that I really couldn’t get but snippets of info.

I think they finally wheeled a television into our area and when the plane hit the Pentagon coming down the East Coast, they sent us home.

Since no one knew what was going on, and we at RTP were considered the World Trade Center of the South, they figured we would be safer at home.

I was literally shaking, it got to me that much and normally I go into crazy leadership mode in situations but there was nothing I could do and so just felt totally helpless and alone…..all the way in NC…..miles and miles away from family.

But instinct kicked in and I did what I thought was best, get prepared. I went to Harris Teeters and got groceries and filled up with gas because something told me this would probably affect gas prices.

Through this I had been on the phone with Mom and Ben and I don’t really remember who else.

I got to my apartment; I lived alone, and was totally glued to the television for the entire day and night.

I couldn’t even eat.

I remember having a fruit cobbler I must have made a day or two before and that was the only thing I could stomach to even eat.

I don’t actually remember if we went to work the next day. I’m assuming we did, I don’t recall being off anytime other than the day of.

I just remember being a upset that I was so far away from everyone. It’s like not knowing what in the world was going to happen next and you were living in an apartment complex with a bunch of people you didn’t know. I did have a pistol, but that was about it. I couldn’t even get all the way home on one tank of gas. I’d be stranded somewhere in Eastern Tennessee.

I talked to Mom and Ben a lot. Ben and I had really just started talking again after our 2 ½ year hiatus as I call it and I had just come back from seeing him in Wisconsin the weekend before.

I think all of this made me realize that there was more in life that was important to me than my career and being so far away from family.

It was just so quiet. I remember running and thinking it’s so odd to hear no planes in the sky. And then a couple weeks later when I heard the first plane in the sky again. Weird.

I was also not too far from a Nuclear Plant. Not close enough to be given those thyroid pills but close enough that I figured if something happened, it wouldn’t be good.

I remember being so nervous every time there was a “breaking news” report. Oh God, what now. I really don’t think I ever got over that until a couple years later.

I was just really glad when I got to see my family and Ben again, in person.

I also remember one really weird tidbit of information from when I was in Chicago the weekend before. As we were getting off the train from the airport I remember this woman, who appeared to be a little nutty, shouting something about these couple of middle eastern guys getting off the train too being terrorists. Of course, pre Sept 11 we just thought she was some crazy chick and perhaps that was the case, but after the fact and thinking back you are just like wow, was that them, could I have been that close. I doubt it, but it was still a very bizarre coincidence. At least for someone not from Chicago and not used to crazy people shouting about terrorists on a train, it seemed very odd, and memorable.

It was also odd that I believe one of the airports in Titusville, FL is one of the places the terrorits had trained and that is where we sent Skydiving back on Dec 30, 1999. They were probalby there then. Again, weird.

And I don’t think I’ve ever told anyone either of those bits of info.

So just make sure to take a few minutes to hug the ones you love and remember those who died that day, the first responders, and the military who have been in harm’s way ever since fighting and dying for our continued safety.

And how I wish September 11 was nothing but another day. And I think it was a long time before I would wear that same outfit together that day. It just weirded me out.