Remembrance & Reinvention

I try not to let 9/11 go by without remembering.

My thoughts always turn to that little fifth grade boy whose dad didn't come home.  Remarkably, he was the only person I knew personally who lost someone in the towers.

I also remember to be grateful that two friends were late to work that day, and so they were in the subway instead of in the building when the first plane hit.  I thank the universe.

I was at a friend's book talk last night, and she was talking about how it is a novel about reinvention.

[Great book, The Paris Key by Juliet Blackwell, you should read it, by the way.]

It struck me that 9/11 for me is also about reinvention.  I am not sure if I have said this here before or not, and I am not in the mood to trudge back through the posts to see if I have.  So, bear with me.

When people ask me why I get divorced, sometimes I tell them the truth (if I have enough time to explain).  I got divorced because of 9/11. 

9/11 was my turning point -- it reminded me that life is too short to be unhappy.

It struck me last night, and again this morning, as I wondered what to write today, that I am at a similar turning point in my life.

I stand at a crossroads, with many choices for ways forward.  The only thing certain is that I cannot go backwards or stay in the unhappiness.

So, thank you 9/11, for reminding me that today is also about reinvention.

May all those souls continue to rest in peace and offer us every year the reminder that life is short.