Financial Freedumb and Brownie

I was living in the Bay Area.  Everything seemed normal before going to bed, but little did I realize how different things would be when I woke up.

It was probably around 6:00am when I “realized” what I’ve been hearing on my radio alarm for the last 20 minutes wasn’t a dream.  It was real.  I quickly grabbed my remote, switched on the TV, and my jaw dropped.  I ran out of bed, knocked on my roommates door, and said, “Holy Sh*t!  The World Trade Centers got attacked!”

He replied half awake, “What a robber or something?”

“No man!  This is serious…get up.  Hurry up.  Take a look.”

We both ran out to the living room and watched TV.  The first thing that ran through my mind was, “Do I know anybody in downtown New York???”  I was lucky…the answer was no.

“Can you believe this?” I asked my roommate.

“No…holy crap.  I can’t believe it…”

Images of people running out the Trade Centers and people falling from windows will ALWAYS be in my mind.  I couldn’t even fathom being trapped on the floors with no escape routes, helpless.  The decision of whether jumping xx number of stories would be a better than taking my chances waiting for help running through my mind.

I did end up going to work.  That drive to work was one of the oddest events of my life.  It was like I was on autopilot.  I don’t know why I was going, but I did.  Every single thought was about NY.  When I got into my office, I can’t remember one person actually working.  Everyone was in front of TVs, chatting with coworkers, crying, pondering.  It was a sad day, but the events that followed the following days after the event held just as much meaning for me.  Never had I seen such a demonstration of solidarity across our nation.  Suddenly all our differences seemed so small and meaningless.  I literally was ready to signup for military service that morning.  Screw everything else, raw emotions took over and I just wanted to fight back.  I can’t remember a single time I was as proud to be an American.  Even as I’m writing this, I feel some of the same emotions running through my body.  Five years later!

How I wish we could remember those days without the tragedy of 9/11.

God bless all the people in the world who stood by us and our great nation.