Today is always a somber day for me, as it is for many. I was in my late 20’s and working out at a gym when I watched in horror as they showed the images of the first plane slamming into the side of the first tower. Then I remember watching the next sequence unfold live and as if it were in slow-motion, as the second plane flew directly into the second tower. Over and over the images played. My heart sank as I knew the world would never be the same, and I realized I would never be the same either.
It has been 12 years since the attacks on the World Trade Center, the Pentagon, and the downing of flight 93 in a field in Pennsylvania. Some of you lost loved ones or colleagues that day. Others experienced grief indirectly in some way that day. All of us were effected but how has that day changed you?
Some questions to ask yourself:
- How has it changed how I travel now?
- How has it influenced my attitudes towards the Middle East?
- How has it impacted my understanding of different religions?
- When do I catch myself stereotyping and how is it different now?
Some other questions to consider:
- How do I spend more time with my family because of 9/11?
- What have I done to give back to my community because of 9/11?
- When have I given someone the benefit of the doubt because of 9/11?
- How am I a better person 12 years later because of 9/11?
Tragedy touches us all differently and it’s natural to focus on the negative effects but it’s a little harder to focus on the positive effects.
I challenge you today… on this horrible day… to write down 10 ways in which 9/11 has had a positive impact on the way you think and the way you live.
Your second challenge… What can you do to think differently and live differently as a result of this exercise?
For the record, when I did this – it was hard!
