9/11/01: 2,977 Forever Young

Thirteen years later tears still stream down my face remembering the nightmare that unfolded in my beloved city on a gorgeous & sunny Tuesday morning.  It was a horror movie but it was real & to this day I still can't really comprehend that it happened.  When I walk past I respect that it's a mass graveyard & send love to all we lost.  After the horror, I know that they now live in eternal light & peace.  Seeing the gleaming One World Trade Center fills me with hope & while I will Never Forget I will also never forget how NYC bonded together.  We were all there for each other that day & through the aftermath- workers at the site, business owners reopening their shops, coworkers helping each other get through another anxiety filled day.  In the end, love always prevails over evil, light always conquers darkness....& you don't f**k with NYC :)

My post from last year....

Thoughts, love & prayers to all of those who perished & were affected by 9/11.  We will never forget you.  Twelve years ago my coworkers & I ran from the dust cloud consuming lower Manhattan.  At first we were told we were being bombed.  It was like getting hit on the head with a frying pan....I remember thinking, I don't want to die at a job I'm miserable at, I haven't become the person I always wanted to be....that was just as terrifying.  We soon found out to our disbelief that the towers had fallen.

I wanted to spend more time on this post but the takeaway is this...live with absolutely no regrets.  Say what you need to say, do what you need to do, tell the people you love how you feel about them, if you need to apologize or have a resentment drop your ego & make peace, live everyday with an open heart & follow your dreams relentlessly.  No matter how healthy, young & heck, even beautiful you might be, 9/11 is a horribly sobering reminder that you are never guaranteed another day on this planet.  Cherish each one, spread the love & go to bed every night knowing that if tomorrow was your last day, you would enter the light in peace with no regrets.

I ran the 2011 NYC marathon in memory of those who lost their lives on 9/11, wearing this shirt I designed.

photos: me