SEPTEMBER 12, 2011 11:53AM

an ordinary day

Rate: 6 Flag

The day started out with promise - a clear blue sky, light breeze, and no stress.  I headed for the train.  The ride downtown was routine.

That part of my day yesterday was very much like 9/11/01, until the moment on that day when so many cell phones started ringing on the train, with the news of the plane striking the first tower.  Yesterday I headed out, hoping the day would be nothing like it was ten years ago.

The morning was quiet.  I met a group of people in the Loop and led a bike ride for my club.  The whole day was so peaceful, but not in the eerie sense of the historic day that so many were remembering.  

So much of the time since 2001 has focused on looking back.  And this view has helped to breed paranoia and fear, creating a climate ripe for witch hunts and more paranoia and fear.  When our country could be moving forward and continuing to lead and innovate, we've allowed grief and fear to guide us towards ignorance and mediocrity.

I will never forget where I was or what I witnessed on 9/11/01, but I don't intend to let it control the rest of my life.  I hope that our country can do likewise - remember but not be crushed by that memory.

Yesterday's peace was exactly the kind of day I'd hoped for, the antithesis of that infamous day.  I wished for an ordinary day when nothing extraordinary happened.  I'm grateful that wish was granted.  Now I'm waiting on that bigger wish - for our country to move forward again.

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looking ahead, life goes on, remembrance, 9/11

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I'm glad you had a peaceful day. I, too, look forward to the day our country can finally go beyond the fear induced by 9/11. Unfortunately, too many people are invested in keeping fear alive. There are big profits to be made and it makes the general population easier to control.
Stim
September 12, 2011 12:37 PM
Bush and Cheney were on some program late Saturday night while I was channel surfing, being interviewed about 9/11 and the aftermath. It was disgusting to hear them waddle through all their self justifying lies and see them, almost looking a bit skeletal. I changed the channel. I was horrified at there attempt to continue to politicize what happened and how "they fixed it all".
SheilaTGTG55
September 12, 2011 12:48 PM
Stim - Yes, the fear mongers will do their best to keep us under their thumbs.

Sheila - I'm grateful that I missed that show. Sounds like a true horror show to me. We've seen way too much evidence that things are anything but fixed.

I watched very little of the 9/11 programming. I didn't feel any need.
bikepsychobabble
September 12, 2011 04:24 PM
I agree with your sentiments here. I hope that the granting of your small wish may be a prelude to the realization of your (and many of ours) bigger wish for the country.

♥R
FusunA
September 14, 2011 01:49 PM
In spite of our culture's tendency to wish for big things, I think that ordinary, quality days do us a lot of good.

Here's to healthier years ahead!
bikepsychobabble
September 14, 2011 08:41 PM
I had a very ordinary day, too. Just the way it should be 10 years later when I didn't lose a loved one or have a bodily injury. (I stood in line for hours to give blood that day. I did care deeply.)
Sigh, my mom and I got into a tiff about it. :/ I'm evidently not patriotic enough.... just gave my childhood to the ARMY, and tried to enlist as an adult, but that doesn't count.
hyblaean- Julie
September 15, 2011 01:36 AM
Julie - All too often, parents have an opposing or more intense view on things like this. Sometimes the best we can do is agree to disagree. I wish that my mother and I could have done that more often, but she usually didn't want to let go of the argument. If that's your situation, I can definitely relate.

I'm glad it was an ordinary day for you. When I was out there riding, thinking back 10 years, an unremarkable day felt like the best possible thing to me.

Now how can we help our country heal and overcome the divisiveness that is eating us alive?
bikepsychobabble
September 15, 2011 11:17 AM
*nods* wish I knew how to overcome divisiveness and prejudice but I can't even get a grip on what's inside me most days.
hyblaean- Julie
September 15, 2011 01:42 PM
Yep, it's tough, but we've got to find a way.
bikepsychobabble
September 15, 2011 06:27 PM