Four Thoughts

The South Tower of the World Trade Center collapsed at 10:05 AM September 11, 2001.

In the months and years since September 11, 2001 we have thought frequently about the following things.

• Referring to this day as 9/11 trivializes the day and its events. The event was horrific and epic the least the living can do is to refer to the day as Septmeber 11th, without shortening it to some catchy soundbite shorthand.

• As mentioned in an earlier post, everyone who died on September 11, 2001 was simply going to work. This fact forever changed the meaning and potential outcome of "going to work."

• One of the realities of life in NYC after September 11th was the smell. Until the fires -- the longest burning industrial fires in US history -- were extinguished in December 2001, an acrid and sometimes overpowering smell of smoke and death hung in the air. After the fires were put out, the smell of death lingered for months.

• While reading the profiles of the murdered that ran in the New York Times in the months following the attacks we came to redefine the meaning of "ordinary." Each person killed was, in actuality, extraordinary, possessing skills and traits unique to them, never to be duplicated nor replaced by those who knew and loved them.