Tuesday, September 11, 2007

When the World Comes Crashing Down


Time has a way of standing still when the world comes crashing down. If my grandfather was alive today, he could tell me exactly where he was standing when he heard about the attack on Pearl Harbor. Both of my parents can vividly remember hearing about the Kennedy assassination. I remember daydreaming in grade school about “my moment.” When would time stop for me?

I thought it happened during my senior year of high school. We wheeled a television into our Spanish class and watched as the jury delivered the verdict in the O. J. Simpson trial. Not guilty? Time stopped. Nobody moved or said a word for at least a minute. I put my hands on my head and stared at the ceiling. It didn’t compute. I still remember the look on my teacher’s face…utter disbelief.

So I figured that was it. My grandparents had Pearl Harbor, my parents had JFK, and I had OJ. Tough break.

Time certainly has a way of changing things.

Six years ago today my mom called me. I could tell something was wrong.

“Are you watching television?” she asked.

“I’m not even out of bed yet, why?”

“Just go turn it on,” she said.

I saw the second plane hit the World Trade Center. When the reporter saw what I saw, his voice trailed off. Nobody moved or said a word. I was a thousand miles away, but I swear it felt like time stopped.

When unthinkable things happen, our mind has a tendency to freeze. We may see the images and hear the sounds, but our brain sends back an error message. It can’t compute the idea. Things don't add up. This just can’t be.

It feels like time stands still when the world comes crashing down, but it isn’t true. Time doesn’t stop for anyone or anything; it is relentless.

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

You're completely right there. Time just keeps on rolling on. The only thing we can or should do, is to do our best to create value wherever we are. I try this everyday to my utmost, more so as tempis fugit and the years seem to get shorter every year.