As I sit in my living room with the windows open, the sound of bagpipes lingers above the normal downtown hustle and bustle that I have become accustomed to. I'm sure the music is a part of the Sept. 11th remembrance ceremony, as we now live only a few blocks from the WTC site. The bagpipes are such a sad instrument. I'm not sure if that is simply universally true, or if I just associate them with sad events, such as today. Either way, they have made me think about the impact of Sept. 11th.
It seems fitting, the ethnic association of bagpipes. New York truly is a global city. People from all over the world have honestly come here in search of a better life. In some ways that seems trite - a mere lip-service to the American dream. But, it's true. I see it every day - cab drivers from Africa, bankers and attorneys from China, software developers from India, and small-town American girls and boys here to "make it big". The last category strikes closest to home for me. When I think about my circle of friends in New York - artists, actors, teachers, scholars, bankers, advertisers, consultants, attorneys - we are all here for the chance to work hard and rise to the top of our respective fields. And, when I think about the people who lost their lives on Sept. 11th just down the street, I imagine many of them just like us - young lives with so much ambition and promise.
Now, when I think about that day, it doesn't feel like something that happened far away to people I never knew. And I no longer simply maintain the appropriate level of patriotic outrage. Rather, I feel true sadness for so many lives cut short and dreams left unrealized.
4 comments:
Dearest Katy
Thank you for this touching entry. I love you and appreciate your reflective thoughts.
You have such a way with words! Reading this post brought tears to my eyes. Such a sad day!
Katy
i agree with kristy you do have a beautiful way of expressing the importance of 9-11 in so many peoples lives.
Your blog also brought tears to my eyes.
love you.
Katy
i agree with kristy you do have a beautiful way of expressing the importance of 9-11 in so many peoples lives.
Your blog also brought tears to my eyes.
love you grammy
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