I've been watching it in chunks, its a lot to take in.

I was in California when it happened, but, the first job I took in NYC 7 years ago was in the new WTC 7 so I was close to the center of it all daily for about 2 years. I've been working in mid-town for the past 5 years in a pretty dry corporate place - but here's the thing, a good amount of these people around me lived through it, that day changed the game for everyone.


the part that has been hitting me in waves is the humanity of the people. Like, before, when I was a young man watching the event unfold, it was a horrible event that scared us all. Now, I think all of that, AND there is a level of horror to it because I'm now 40 and a dad and married and I work in the city (well, I DID before we switched to a 4/5 wfh set up) and the thought of being faced with jumping or burning or knowing my wife was watching my place of work burning or falling and not knowing if I'm ok, or the thought of realizing that I'm fucked, definitely going to die and completely unable to say goodbye or tell my family that I love them one last time is....ugh, god.

Our office is exactly like one of the hundred businesses in the old WTC so now I can totally imagine all of our physical shit just blowing in the wind like everything else on that day.

I will never consider myself a New Yorker, but, I've been slowly coming to understand how that day changed people. At least at my job, I've started to be able to pick up on a vibe some folks have who've lived through it. They have a dark humor / snarkiness to them.