We all have that story. The one that we remmeber like it was yesterday. The one that caused time to stand still for a moment. For many, that day was 911. It began like an ordinary September day, but it would become somethng else.
Maybe you were getting ready for work or school I was supposed to be on vacation. I was basically a kid. Trying to finish those classes and falling behind. First time at a job that had not yet become my career. I will admit, I was at a difficult time in life. I was pretty arrogant and didn’t really listen to people about much of anything. I had my own beat and I marched to it. On Sept 11, 2001, I shut up and listened.
There was a chill in the air that Sept morning. Truth be told, fall is my favorite time of year. I like a chilly morning. I had gone for a jog. I was supposed to leave that day to fly to Phoenix to see my parents. I never left . I came back to my apartment, my roommate was on the phone, and the TV was on. At a glance, I thought the World Trade Center was on fire. It was and so was the entire country, metaphorically speaking. I had yet to grap the severity of what happen, but that quickly changed. My roommate and I went to work. That is what people in radio do in times of crisis.
Soon it wasn’t about music. It was about tears, worry, and confusion. It was about heroes, shock, and sadness. The punk kid spent his nights on air warning parents to, “Lock their doors and hide your daughters,” was now trying to help people understand and cope with an American trgedy. Honestly, I didn’t say much, I listened. Normal people expressing what they felt. It became about the people. It always should be. The days that followed were long. In this business, you cannot get away from stuff like this. I remember going for a walk just to decompress and thinking how strange it was that there was not even a single plane in the sky. 3000 people went to bed on Sept 10th not knowing that it would be the last day of their lives.
The day itself was one of the saddest on record, but something happened because of it. People smiled more. They said, “Hello,” and, “Thank You.” There was a sense of unity that might not have been felt since. People were just a little kinder. They took more stock in the important things in life. The America after Sept 11 was a better America. People seemed to walk around with less hate and more hope. I hated being on the air at the time. Looking back I realize what a blessing it was. I don’t get political, but maybe one day this country can recapture those feelings of unity. #neverforget
