It was such a nice walk.
Still, I couldn’t help wishing the sky were a little less immaculate, less perfect. More strangely, I found myself wishing that even a single airplane would cross it. I didn’t want to remember that other clear blue morning sky. I didn’t want to forget the airplanes.
____________________
Update: The day has also brought my politically more outspoken friend FLJerseyBoy out of whatever hole he’s been hiding in for three-plus years. He’s suddenly popped up again at A Dog Starv’d, with a different take on it.
FLJerseyBoy says
Very nice.
The hole I’ve been hiding in hasn’t been deep enough, tell ya that much.
The Querulous Squirrel says
That event completely changed the feeling of a stunningly beautiful morning forever.
Jayne says
Eerie how beautiful it is today. A near full moon tonight–the sliver that renders it big, round and whole missing.
Nance says
On the strength of the first post since ’08, I will happily blogroll A Dog Starv’d and hope that FLJerseyBoy keeps it up.
I’ve read and watched several pre-anniversary pieces. I just could not deliberately seek out more today…just had to try to spare myself something, deserved or not. Then, yesterday, I found myself in a dark theater with “Sarah’s Key”–without having read the reviews or synopsis–and sobbed for all the innocents and all the horrors at once.
Bob Senior says
Same experience here with a walk this morning, clear blue sky. However the difference was many people out walking, which did cheer things up a bit on this remembrance day.
John says
@Squirrel – it did, didn’t it? I mean, there’s enough distance between then and now that I get through some entire bright clear mild mornings without thinking back 10 years. But usually there’s at least one moment where I go, like, Such a beautiful day. But it reminds me of someth— Oh.
John says
@Jayne – it’s all in the details, isn’t it?
John says
@Nance – FLJB will likely be stunned to find his place on any blogroll. But honored to find it on yours.
Am embarrassed to admit I’d never heard of Sarah’s Key until you mentioned it. Thank you for the heads-up. But yeah, watching THAT on the 9/11 anniversary — especially “cold,” without foreknowledge — probably would’ve set me off, too.
John says
Hello, @Bob — you didn’t capitalize it, but “Remembrance Day” would be a lovely name for a nationwide September 11 memorial observation. (I’ve always liked that term used in the British Commonwealth for what we here call “Veteran’s Day.”)
It’s probably not just me, but on days of sad memories I go back and forth between wanting to be around people and wanting to be myself. Different sorts of comforts, hmm?
marta says
Anything can happen on a beautiful day.
We decided on this anniversary to tell our son about that day. We didn’t want him to learn about it in a textbook.