9/11/2012

Yes, I rode to work today.

And, it was difficult to look up at the tall buildings and not remember what happened eleven years ago.

The building on the left is the Thomas F. Eagleton Courthouse. It is the largest single courthouse in the United States.

On that day I met a friend for coffee. The manager let him use a radio from the kitchen. We sat and listened to the reports. We didn't talk much. He kept saying, "This changes everything." My friend is a writer. He wrote a piece some time later about visiting New York in December 2011. It is a good piece and you can read it by clicking here.

One of the things I remember most vividly was the silence following the grounding of all the planes. Nothing was flying except military planes. I had never realized how much the sound of jets and other aircraft had become a part of my surroundings until suddenly they were no longer there. It was eerie.

Today I sat at lunch and looked at the cloudless sky. I didn't like there being no clouds today. Today was a day I wished for clouds to play in the endless clear dead blue of the sky. I looked up and noticed the reflection of the lights inside the restaurant playing on the window and was grateful to see an image of a cloud if not a real one.

What has changed since two planes hit the World Trade Center, another hit the Pentegon, and another crashed in Pennsylvania? There is fear in the Land. And, there is fear's byproduct: Anger. 

I hear talk nearly every morning at the cafe about the many things the speakers believe are destroying the fabric of the American Experience. None of them mentions anger, yet it is my sense anger is the destroyer loose in our midst. On this day it is my hope we can soon get beyond this anger and begin to work together rather than against each other. If we could that, it would change everything.

• 61F/16C , calm and crystal clear for the ride to work.
• 84F/29C with a few clouds, lots of sunshine, and a delightful breeze for the home ride.