September 11th

The hours of September 11th and its aftermath never seem very far away, always ready to pull one into the horror again. It's hard to believe five years have come and gone.

Soon after commercial planes were flying again, I had to make several trips. Talkied to a guy at work who had a trip planned right away. It was the first time I heard the expression "suck it up." He was going to suck it up and get on the plane and go. So that's what I did, and then a 2nd time taking the place of someone at a training class who refused to fly. Lots of people refused to fly. I would pump myself up into a kind of fearlessnes, prepared to fight with teeth, nails, handbag, whatever weapons were at hand. A cane would be good. The expression "tooth and nail" came to mind.

Fight tooth and nail: Engage in vigorous combat or make a strenuous effort, using all one's resources. For example, I'm going to fight tooth and nail for that promotion. This expression, with its allusion to biting and scratching, was first recorded in 1576.

1576: times haven't changed much. Wars, plagues, conflagrations.
I was in Baltimore when the anthrax scare was going on. The cell phones still didn't work in Hagerstown. Sometimes I find all the little flag pins in my jewelry drawer. September 11th is never far away. And yet, the Globe pointed out this morning, people will forget, just like they forgot Pearl Harbor and other days of infamy. Every generation has its Armageddon.


Moments of silence and meditation are the best remembrance.