9/11

Today is the anniversary of that terrible day. I never forget where I was when I first heard about this tragedy. I had just woken up and was getting ready for highschool as I always did: sitting cross-legged in front of my mirror curling my hair and putting on mascara (the only makeup I wore back when I didn't have bags under my eyes...). I was listening to 104.7, the local country radio station. When I'm back in Cashmere I still listen to this station. They interrupted a song to announce that a plane had crashed into the south tower. I remember not believing them. I mean, I once believed their "April fools" announcement that the Wenatchee river was flowing the opposite direction! My gullibility is astounding....I'm aware. I digress. I went into the basement living room and turned on the TV just to make sure. I don't know how long I stood there staring at the TV in utter disbelief. I probably looked like a statue. Watching the towers burn. The second plane hit. Flight 93's plight. It was just too much.
So of course that day in school all we did in every class was watch the TV. I called my mom later that day to make sure that Brent and Sarah were okay. They live and work in NYC.
Tragedy and I disagree. The way that I deal with things that are uncomfortable for me is through sarcasm. So I spent the day making jokes about the end of the world and other inappropriate comments about how I can't possibly die before losing my virginity! (ear muffs mom). Terrible, I know. As a 16 year old kid though, I had no idea how to deal with this type of large-scale tragedy. And being on the west coast, I felt very detached from it all.

I thought that being around Muslims in India would be hard and that my prejudice may flare up. Quite the opposite happened though. One of my best friends from that experience is Muslim. Just like any religion, the people behind terror are fundamentalists and do not represent the majority. Just because someone wears a turban, doesn't mean they're plotting our demise. In the US we live in our own little fish bowl and don't get exposed to eastern religions all that often. Maybe instead of just mourning those who we lost, we should seek to understand.
....And now I officially sound like a democrat. shit. ;)