five years
remember how precious and delicate life suddenly became?
people were so open. dreams of fear and hope were shared openly with strangers in the checkout line of the hardware store.
flags appeared everywhere, overnight, like that first day in summer when the dandelions cover the lawn.
and for a while, it was pure. an honest expression of solidarity and hope.
and maybe you couldn’t do anything about the inevitable military action, but something changed in you, a resolve, as you watched those people fall from the towers, those people who started that tuesday just like any other day.
you received a kind of wisdom that day. you vowed to live differently. you vowed to live every moment and follow your dreams. not to waste a single moment. to know the difference between what’s important, and the small stuff. you promised yourself you’d always tell the people who matter most to you how important they truly are.
you resolved to be the person you know you should be.
the person you truly are.
because those people who died that day, they were just like anyone. just like you. it could have been anyone. it could have been you.
it could have been you, but it wasn’t.
how have you spent the last five years?
how did you use that wisdom?
did you keep your promises?