I remember September 10th, 2001 as a beautiful late summer day. My friend and I were having lunch by the fountain listening to live jazz music and cherishing the beauty of it all. The weather was forecasted with pleasant and mild weather for the week and that Monday was one gorgeous day! I asked my friend if she wanted to join me again the day after tomorrow, Wednesday, for lunch in the same spot. I worked from home on Tuesdays and I was scheduled not to come into the office on September 11th. We agreed to meet again for lunch two days later. Our planned lunch date for Wednesday, September 12th never happened.
The next day, I had a completely different experience. The same exact location where I was having lunch and enjoying live music was in the midst of chaos and destruction as the Towers were collapsing. It was one of the most horrific sight to I have ever witnessed.
It was the first time I experienced a quick and drastic change within a 24 hour span. One day I am enjoying a fabulous day and the next was a complete destruction. Although I had been exposed to meditation and mindfulness 11 years prior to that day, it was the very first time I became aware of the importance of being mindful in every situation I am experiencing. I realized then any life experience could quickly change.
I share this personal story in my workshops since mindfulness is the major aspect in the conversations. Mindfulness in who we are and where we are at in every moment in our lives.
We never know what the next day brings, or what the next hour will bring.
I am ever so grateful I made the choice to have lunch outside the Towers on that lovely September day because I had no idea what the next day was to become. The events of September 11th, 2001 were traumatic, however, my greatest memory of the World Trade Center prior to 9/11 was memorable.
Photo by Emanuele Bresciani on Unsplash