Life's Landmarks

Last Thursday marked seven years since September 11, 2001 – a date that nearly everyone who is old enough or capable of remembering back seven years can recall where they were during the attack. I was working at the first decent temp job I’d had in months. I’d been forced out of the permanent job I’d had for a year and a half – largely because the company was sending jobs to India. Since the end of June, I had been on a handful of Interviews, worked a few temp jobs that lasted a day or a week and I was about a month into a two and a half month assignment at an insurance company.

I was at that job when the planes hit, doing what most of the people in the Towers were doing. Just working, trying to earn a living and support my family. The horror and heroism continued to pour out across America and the world as we carried on in the following weeks and months. And even now that day is a weight we carry together as a citizens of a peace-loving world, and as a country – some more than others.

There are other profound moments as well. I remember being pulled from science class in 6th grade to watch the aftermath of the assassination attempt on Ronald Reagan. The explosion of the Space Shuttle Challenger in 1986. Oklahoma City. Columbine. The 35W Bridge collapse in Minneapolis. The 2003 Tsunami. Katrina. Ike. And many more accidents and incidents that become the folds, dents, and scrapes in our lives. These are things that remind us of our own mortality. The things that sadden us, move us to action, and make us appreciate all the little blessings we carry a little bit more.

The other day it occurred to me that it had been nearly a year since my apartment caught fire last year at 2 a.m.  I still remember standing outside with my son in my pajamas, watching the flames spread across the building, wondering what in the world was taking the fire department so long and watching my chances of getting anything back go up in smoke. We managed to save a few things, but most was unsalvageable. The outpouring of support was amazing, from family, coworkers, The Red Cross, my apartment complex management, the kids’ school. Things are more or less back to normal now, but I will always be grateful for everything I received from those around me.

Bad things happen to good people. It is a horrible, somber fact of life. But in that sorrow there is opportunity for good people to be a little better than they were. I have been a little more charitable than I used to be this past year, and hope to incorporate more into my schedule to assist not only victims of large tragedies, but those that endure situations and conditions everyday for which they have little or no control. It may be difficult to do at times, but in the end we’re all in this together.

Gretchen Lee Bourquin is the author of the novel No Sensible People and the poetry collection The Long and Short of It.