9/11

Everyone remembers where they were and what they were doing on 9/11. I was at work daydreaming about what I was gonna cook for my cousin Evelyn's birthday party. Then I received word that a plane flew into one of the towers. I immediately thought that the pilot was drunk or fell asleep. Never did I think that someone would purposefully do something so horrific. Then the second plane hit....WOW. I screamed out loud. At that moment I knew that the only thing that mattered was that I get home to see my family.

I was an emotional wreck while waiting 45 minutes in the car garage trying to head home. I was a mess driving to get home. You could see it in everyone's eyes. We were all overcome with emotion and anger and worry and sadness and disparity. I just kept peaking at the Sears Tower through my rear view mirror while heading South on the Dan Ryan. When I finally got home, my initial reaction was to sit on my Mom's lap like I did as a child. Instead, I stood close watching and listening while she called family members to check on their whereabouts.

9/11 changed my perception about people and life in general. I realized at that moment what truly mattered in life. I grew up that day. In my head I was no longer the little girl that my parents adored. In my head, I was an adult who was about to make sure that my loved ones knew that I loved them. I was an adult who was about to "trim the fat" out of my life. I stopped entertaining conversations from negative people. Life is too short. I stopped being judgmental. Who was I to judge anyone? I stopped trying to please everyone. I became more of an individual. I started paying attention to the things that we take for granted. When I woke up in the morning, I looked at the sky to see the sun coming up. On my way to work I noticed how magnificent the Sears Tower really is. At that time I really noticed how beautiful Chicago's skyline really is. When driving home, I no longer became aggravated at the sun for being so bright. I would instead think about how beautiful the sun looked while setting.  I realized that I'm not in control of other peoples actions. I no longer felt the  need to debate other people's points of view. Instead, I began asking more questions in an effort to understand why people felt the way that they did. I also began cooking more.  My Mom always said that knowing what flavors  to pair together was my gift from GOD. I realized on 9/11 that if I don't use my gifts from GOD, that  I may never have the chance to. The future is not promised. I realized that life is short and that EVERY DAY I need to do the best that I can.