I remember that day. Everyone does. Ask anyone and they'll tell you exactly what they were doing when they heard the horrible news. I was about 7 years old at the time. That morning I was sitting at my kitchen table, just getting my bowl of cereal brimmed with milk, when the television switched on. What then ensued was confusion, panic, and hopelessness. There it was: the New York skyline saturated with black smoke, the sounds of people shrieking. It was a nightmare that everyone was having, together.
A lot has changed since that day. America has changed, and so have I. But I still think that every year we can glean something new from 9/11. It's not just about reliving an event in history, and reminding ourselves of our pain. Looking back at a tough experience is about understanding yourself more deeply, and seeing how that event led to another which led to another which led to you, the you which is reading this post right now, in the current day, with all your beautiful flaws and shiny bits all mixed together. It led to your identity.
Let's take this time now to look back at something hard we went through in the past. Maybe it was 13 years ago, maybe it was 13 days ago. But when we do, let's try to draw the line from the you then to the you now. Why is there a disconnect between the old and new you? Because there were events in between you two. Good ones and bad ones. But all of them shaped the you which is now. So embrace that, be proud, and don't be afraid to declare: "I am strong!" - because you are. You made it here. You can make it anywhere.
Go get 'em.
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