9/11 Taking stock
 

I don't know about others, but I always find myself taking stock on 9/11.

We all know where we were that day, how we were in our lives, and how much life can change from one day to the next.

I cannot believe it was 19 years ago. Feels like yesterday.

I find the pandemic will be the same 19 years from now.

For those of you struggling, would be great if you could look back and say that was when you finally stopped.

Thank you for the thread.

I was thinking about this today too. Exactly where I was and almost every moment of that day. I'm still close with my college roommates and I think, aside from the fact that they are cool guys, part of it is going through something like that with other people. We didn't have our parents and families with us at school, we were there for each other.

I remember exactly where I was. I also remember that I was a bit hungover.

Both are bad memories.

I always find myself somber and reflective today.

I was asleep that Tuesday morning. I was working the night shift at a brokerage firm. Still a rookie so had to stay late.

I was fast asleep when my sister yelled up to me "The Twin Towers just collapsed!" It took me a while to register. She yelled my name at the top her lungs.

Came right downstairs and that's how that day started with me. I certainly can remember every detail that day. I still went to work even though the stock markets were shut down. Basically, taking calls from panicked clients. No trades going through.

I remember having the morning news on the TV as I got ready for work and seeing the footage of the first plane flying into the tower. It was the beginning of a nightmare.

The next day, on local Toronto news I see an old friend from high-school and his sister being interviewed. They were in tears because my friend's Brother-in-law, his sister's husband was on the top floors of the WTC when the plane hit.

Can't remember which tower it was. But he worked for a bond firm and was there just for a meeting that morning. Cantor Fitzgerald lost half their employees that morning. Canadians, British, India, were there for just a few days before they flew back home to the other offices around the world.

He sent a message to his wife from his Blackberry that just said "I love you". Tragic. Wife was pregnant with their 2nd child.

I don't mean to be morbid, but that was my 9/11 experience.

Thanks, Dropsie.
I hadn't quit drinking yet & was jittery & hungover that morning. On my way to work (late as usual) I heard it on the radio. I went to my Mom's to tell her what happened - rushing in her door & yelling "Put on the tv - they've hit the Word Trade Towers" (not knowing who 'they' even were at that point). Drinking seemed like a good answer to try & cope with the horror. But later, hearing of the sacrifices & unbelievable bravery helped make me want to be a better, stronger person - so I took stock that day.

thoughts and prayers to all of us who find this day a tough one to remember.

:grouphug:

D

I was in the US Army at the time. Needless to say, the trajectory of my enlistment changed on that day.

A very tough day to remember indeed. I remember that day well like everyone else. Each year I like to visit this webpage that Cantor Fitzgerald set up and pick random names to read about some of the people who lost their lives. The different facts or tidbits that the families chose to include are so sweet http://www.cantorfamilies.com

Yesterday while doing my lessons I was quite touched by the way this event is remembered around the world. I had students from all over asking about my experience and expressing condolences. My students in the middle east also spoke of how the world changed for them after 9/11 and the discrimination they faced due to sharing the same religion or ethnicity of the terrorists. Everyone was solemn, sorry and respectful during these sometimes difficult conversations, it was heartening.

Thanks for sharing. Terrible things happen all the time, but there are few that capture the attention of pretty much everyone in world and allow us to share that common, yet disparate experience.

Mera, my roommate when I was a university student is Ismali Muslim. Born in Canada. We took a flight right after 9/11. He wanted to go to visit his family afterwards.

His family were apparently put on a watch list. He couldn't fly until I 'vouched for him. I never got my bags searched. I was shocked a bit because they didn't even look at my luggage.


they picked out the foreign sounding names