18 Years Since 9/11

I had lunch with Sophia in Salesforce park today and we talked a lot about 9/11 and the impact it had. I can only imagine what it was like living in New York City that day.

I was getting ready to go to school and I remember my cousin calling my Dad and telling him to turn on the TV. I went to school that day and was promptly sent home.

We spent the day watching the news. My 11 year old brain was trying to digest it as much as possible. I recall my always melodramatic cousins telling everyone that this was the end of the world.

Sophia asked me today if I knew what it meant at the time. I said that I understood why people were mad at us and that war was coming, but I don’t my 11 year old self could ever foresee the impact in the next 18 years.

Thousands of people died that day in New York, Virginia, and Pennsylvania. Hundreds of thousands more will die in the coming years. Old wars would ignite. New wars would begin. The Patriot Act. One single day would go on to impact the rest of the world for many years to come.

John sent us this Atlantic article about fate and luck on 9/11. The stories from the day are fascinating and it makes you really realize the impact of decisions. We’ve made millions of decisions in our lives, but one single decision could your ultimate fate in life.