Remembering Seven Years Ago

I have a corner office on the 27th floor of our building. The view is fantastic. In fact, when I first began working in Manhattan, I often caught myself looking out the window every few minutes to take in the view. The walls are made of tinted glass, and being in the corner, I can see the East River as I look down 52nd Street. I can see the Waldorf, the Doubletree, the Marriott and the W Hotel as I look along Lexington Avenue. The horn blasts from Taxis and the sirens from Emergency Personnel used to bother me some, but now I rarely even notice. In fact, I rarely look out the window any more except to see whether it is raining.

Like most people in the city, I now just hustle along the sidewalk until I get to my building, crowd into an elevator like cattle in holding corral, and jump off on my floor. Nothing unusual. Nothing out of the ordinary. Same routine. Another day.

As I sit here in my office, I can see airplanes in the distance as they are descending to land at LaGuardia. I don’t usually notice them probably because they do it all day long, and I’m not as observant as I was when I first started working in the city. Just another day at the office.

Or so they thought seven years ago today. Most of the people who worked in the World Trade Center were no different than me. Or you. Just going to work. Fighting the fight. Another day.

I can’t help but think about the two planes that missiled those buildings seven years ago today. Maybe that’s why I notice each plane landing over a LaGuardia. It could have been one of those planes. It could have been my building. It could have been me. Or you.

Both presidential candidates are laying wreaths at Ground Zero today, and I applaud them for that.

But make no mistake. It could happen again. It might happen again. And even if it doesn’t happen again, I am different than before. Because as I look out my corner office and see another silvery white jetliner descending from the clouds, a little voice deep within me says “What If?”

Let us never forget those who were brutally massacred in a fiery inferno on 9/11/2001. And let’s never entrust our safety and security to ANYONE who wants to back off the fight against terrorism. Because we NEVER AGAIN want the “What If” to become “It Did”.

WJLaneSR