Twelve years ago this morning, I (like so many) awoke asking myself, “Did that really happen?” Twelve years later, I find myself still asking the same question. It all still feels so surreal, regardless of the time that passes.
I still feel the way I felt after nine years had passed, still wanting for everything to stop and just let us all reflect and feel. Some people don’t want that, because the pain is so great, and I respect that. Perhaps people view my wish as self-torture. And perhaps it is. But it’s therapeutic for me. I want to talk about where we all were. I want to watch the footage again. I want to watch the documentaries…as if watching them will make it all make sense. I know it won’t; it can’t. But I want it to. I want to cry and feel and remember. I want to hear the stories from those who need to tell them, regardless of how many times they’ve been told.
I want that day to be solemn.
It feels like it’s becoming just a little less sacred as time goes on. No one is to blame, I don’t think. There’s just a huge part of me that wishes nothing would be scheduled on that day. I cringe when I see things on the calendar or posts on social media as if that day is just another day.
Call me crazy.
Even from a professional standpoint, I didn’t post, tweet, or retweet anything else. In my opinion, September 11 deserves to stand alone and be recognized for what it is.
So this video was my day and all the things I wanted to capture, including posts on social media, which I just loved. It was so refreshing to see so many people refusing to forget, so many for whom it still feels just as heavy.