Posted on 11/21/2001 1:10:16 PM PST by The Wizard
I found out today why everyone who goes to Ground Zero comes away so shook up.......the life around it....
When you see that horrific view on TV it's usually a big full screen image from above, people and life aren't really visible...
When you're there, there's life and business and people walking and cars moving and a heavy PDNY presence.....and then you see the distruction right next to you, the twisted metal and the mauled buildings, and you know people died right there....
If you can deal with the hassels to get there, everyone should experience the feelings you get when the life all around you is framed by the twisted wreck of cement and metal......You can see the death in the empty windows, and feel the lingering horror... and understand the size of what happened
I thought nothing could top the nineties - within a two year period, my dad who died the same day and almost exact time as Gene Kelly, my young male friend who died accidentally the same day as John Denver, my friend's mom suddenly, Princess Diana, Mother Theresa, Kennedys, Sonny Bono, Harry Carey, Payne Stewart. Remember that period 96 - 99? So many funerals were televised.
This 9-11 attack on America has affected us all and I desire to start thinking about life and what can I do to help the living. We should daily remember those lost on 9-11 in our thoughts and prayers but if we think about death all the time, it will bring us sadness instead of missed opportunities for joy. Please let us find a balance between harsh realities and opportunities for joy. Happy Thanksgiving and God Bless America.
--HOW can I love you better between now and New Year's?
--What have you most liked about yourself the last couple of months?
--Would you most like a shoulder/neck massage, a hand massage, a scalp massage or a foot massage? OK, relax, here goes . . .
--What pesky chore could I do for you today/this week?
--Do you like flowers or funny/sentimental cards most as surprises?
--Is there anything I could find for you on the internet that would bless you/thrill you/help you this week?
If you had extra money, what special book/food/toy/techie thing would you most like but not dare buy for yourself?
--Here's the receipt/reservation for you and spouse at this fancy hotel including sauna, massage, gym, pool and all meals for the weekend. Go tune into each other and have some fun. . . the costs are covered; don't think about them.
--Hey, son, it's been too long. Would you be willing to go for a drive with me to see some scenery and catch up with each other?
--Dear son, here's some sentences and a few paragraphs about what I've learned about myself and life. You can at least learn a bit more about your old dad but maybe you can learn a few things about life that might save you some bruises.
--Dear son/daughter, here's some things I'd give you if I had the supernatural power/ability to give such to you . . .
--Dear son/daughter, here's some things I really like about you. And here are some memories I will always treasure.
--Dear son/daughter/spouse, here's 7 cards with possibilities for time with me/help from me. Please choose 4 of them for the next 2 months.
--Hey Loved one, what would you most like from me in the next 5 weeks?
--These are the things I love most about you. . . .
It is my understanding that part of each of the two towers contained asbestos. They changed to a different material after contruction was already underway.
I worry about the workers that are breathing the stuff daily.
About a month later, the smoke and the smell were still there, but traffic had opened, and about 1 block away, guys were selling watches, WTC postcards, FDNY hats, etc. The traffic was back. It was good to see the traffic and the street hustlers, because in its own strange way, NY was healing over.
Not sure how many of the me generation have grown up how much.
Klintoon is in the same league as OJ now and I don't know if he will ever be able to recover. If his wife ever runs for president, she would only be able to win by cheating at levels we've never seen in history and then we can kiss America goodbye. I will work vigorously so that this scenario never happens.
Have a pleasant and safe weekend.
On the first night of my first visit to New York in 1978, I was taken to Windows on the World for drinks & the view. I knew that night I would live in New York one day (and I moved here permanently three years later). I wish to God someone had thought to bring a camera along that night. I would love to see myself there again.
I have been around a burned home, and a car with fatality as well - this isn't the same - imho its more chemical.
It's the most vile and complex smell in the world, IMHO. It combines chemical, petrochemical, electrical, metallic, burnt-rubber and burnt-paper smells, with undertones of the things nobody wants to think about. I'm probably at least five miles from Ground Zero, the scent is still wafting up here whenever the wind is right, or when it's warmer or more humid than normal, and the merest whiff of it is enough to ruin my day. I recoil from it. I can't help it.
But I spoke to someone who went to the Fulton Street station yesterday, who said he was hit by the smell as soon as the subway doors opened, and that it's not only much stronger down there but it much more organic. A sour smell, he said. I feel for the people who are working down there, and those who will be returning to their offices next week.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.