Everybody's a Story to Remember

Coming home from work this afternoon, I had to meet with a contractor, who will be coordinating the installation of a roof vent on our house in the next few weeks. Sitting at my kitchen table, I went to sign the paperwork and (for I swear must have been the fifth time today) I mentioned, "Gosh, I can't believe it's September 11th already."

I didn't mean to intimate that I was talking about THE September 11, 2001, just that the month seems to be going by quickly. He took it another way.

"Yeah, you're like the tenth person who's mentioned that to me today... I don't no anyone who doesn't remember where they were."

I nodded in agreement. "I was in school and couldn't wait to get my a** home to see my wife and kids," I said out of some man-law brotherhood, from the bottom of my heart, as much as to emphasize that I, too, had vivid memories of THE September 11th.

"I was at someone's house, just like now," he continued," and the television was on... I thought she had a movie on as the first plane struck in New York." He stopped for a moment, thought, and added, "It wasn't no movie, though, me and her just watched the news as the second plane hit the tower."

All could could add was, "that's some crazy stuff, man. Weird as hell."

I remembered back to September 11th and couldn't help recalling, in my bones, the sadness and anxiety I felt watching that terrible, terrible event.

"Crazy," the contractor added while shuffling the contract into a neat pile before leaving. We shook hands having shared some odd flashback moment together, just two guys going about our business and momentarily remembering...

While it's true that about some things, and this inparticular, everyone has a story, sometimes we all just need to take a second to tell it.

Breathe in, breathe out… YOU AND I ARE ALIVE!