Good morning, friends.
Today's a hard day for America. And the world.
In general, I'm not one for dates. Of course my wedding day is important to me, and the day my father died is one I can't forget. But on my birthday I'm not one to go for major celebrations, I like to keep things low key. On New Year's Eve, I loath the pressure to go out and go crazy, I much prefer to mark the year ahead and the one that's past with a few key friends and loved ones. I guess my point is that I tend to find, after time, that key dates become, well, more like any other day after time passes, and that I'm somewhat apathetic to dates that mark some big occasion in general. But not today.
Today is different. It's been 13 years since the lives of New Yorkers and Americans and global citizens changed forever, and I can never, ever forget that. I can never forget sitting in an office in Soho, doing a freelance job, when we all sat around a table wondering what was going on. I remember feeling disconnected from everyone at the office, who had all started hugging and crying as we figured out just what to do. I remember grabbing my one friend there, who has since passed away, and walking him home- he to the East Village and me to Stuyvesant Town. I remember a cup of free coffee and people huddling around car radios in disbelief and watching ghosts walk up Broadway. I remember because I simply can never forget.
In the years since 9/11, we were never really the same, and the country has struggled to get its footing back after being attacked on our own shores. We have a new President since the towers fell, and a new set of enemies that we have to deal with that seem scarier and more horrific than the ones before. We have come together in New York City, we have grieved, we have cried, and for many of us, we have moved on. I left this beautiful city for some time as you know, and coming back, I watched as a new tower went up, One World Trade Center, and I reconnected with what I loved about this city- the quick pace, the ability to just get on with it, the extremely tough challenges of living here.
Since 9/11, we have suffered a punishing economy and wondered how we would bounce back. For me, what's new is a feeling of hopelessness- Obama's very brand was based on hope and lately, I'm feeling less hopeful and scared again of what's to come. I don't feel confident in our leadership, I wonder why our city and country is so grossly uneven in terms of opportunity, and I wonder why we can't just get the hell out of the Middle East, though of course I know it's more complex than that. I wonder how as Americans we can find a way to feeling proud again, without the help of some crazy Tea Party type who yearns for an America I just don't want to be a part of. I want my America back, or at least I want an America that feels more closely aligned to a sense of safety, freedom, and opportunity, and most of all, optimism.
I wondered as I watched a document on Gadaffi the other night why leadership in the Arab world is such that there is no voice coming from those that oppose such lunatics, perhaps because they are not lucky enough to live in a country where they can speak freely. It's hard to imagine that with so much pain and tragedy and bloodshed, a Martin Luther King, Gandhi, or Mandela has not emerged from that part of the world to say enough is enough. These are things I wonder as I sit here and never forget. How is it possible that with so many not one voice can emerge and say "no more"?
I wonder why this pain will never really heal, why as I sit and watch the Today show this morning and see the memorial services for loved ones why we still have no real closure on this, even with Osama Bin Laden taken out in a blaze of glory. I wonder why every time it's a clear and beautiful day in September it's hard for me to really enjoy it, because it always reminds me of THAT day.
13 years later and I am back in New York with a dog and a husband and an apartment in Brooklyn. 13 years later I have more lines on my face and feel stronger than I was then. 13 years later I still get choked up that I get to live in this beautiful, crazy city, one of the great loves of my life. I can't ever forget what this city has given me- a sense of self, a wonderful journey meeting the most amazing friends and coworkers, a chance to be surrounded by everything I hold dear- the arts, fashion, conversation, and of course, wit.
13 years later and I still feel so much emotion on this day as I try to move on, as we all try to move on. This is a day we can never forget, because it's impossible to do so. It's a day that changed our lives forever, how we felt as Americans, and how we felt about this city. I still love you New York and though I fear what's to come amidst news that we are going to pursue air strikes in Syria, I have to find a way to have some hope again, because next year at this time, the feeling will be very much the same, but I'd like to combine my remembrance with just a bit more hope, that we can commemorate and remember and be a little less fearful of a world that will never be the same again. And though every year I mark this day with quiet reflection and feel gratitude to not have lost anyone, this year feels more raw somehow, because I don't feel we've come far enough in this horrible battle yet I don't want us to have to fight anymore.
To all of those that lost someone on this day, I wish I could hug each and every one of you. To the firefighters, to the police department, to the first responders, to the rescue dogs, to the survivors- I salute you. It's for all of you that I will never forget. And to my city and adopted hometown and most favorite place, stay strong, and never forget what we've been through. They are reading the names of the dead on television and marking this day with the honor it deserves. I love New York as much today as I did then, and it's for this city that I will never, ever forget. This is a photo I took from the Promenade the other night, a beautiful testament to the most beautiful city in the world. I feel lucky to live here and I will never, ever forget. XO