Thoughts on 9/11/13

    It's a stiflingly damp and dreary day here in north-south Florida.  Rain squalls parade in from the Atlantic, announcing themselves with bright flashes and deep rumblings.  And so has my mood adjusted accordingly.  My motivation level has dropped to zero and my general outlook is trashed. 



    Twelve years ago I was a distant witness to the dust cloud that arose from lower Manhattan.  The day started crisp and clear, a beautiful early fall day.  As I drove east from my home in north western NJ. with the frenzied crush of morning commuters I dulled my senses with loud rock music from the on-board CD player.  Listening to "little Feat" helped me get to my office in a somewhat tranquil state, considering I had just competed in an hour long survival contest.  Walking toward the office building I noticed a plum of smoke on the eastern horizon but gave it little thought.  In the office the TV was on, the morning news.  People carrying on as usual.  One co-worker commented that a plane "hit" the World Trade Center and that the top floors were on fire.  A small plane or large?  How did it happen?  How does someone fly a plane in to one of the largest buildings in the world?  I looked over at the TV screen just in time to see a jet curving around to crash into the undamaged tower and from that moment was witness to the ongoing horrors of 9/11.



    Everybody lost someone or something that day.  The psyche of America was altered for years to come.  Revenge and American security became motivating forces.  The government could not act fast enough.  The NSA could not do enough to prevent another such atrocity.



    Oh, so long ago.  So much water under the bridge that what bound us together on that special day has been washed away, not quite forgotten.  Not yet.



    It's a stiflingly damp and dreary day here in north-south Florida...