{history maker} 9.11

2001 was a year of pronounced change for me. i graduated from high school. lost a precious friend. went to my first funeral {and then two more that same year}. started college. watched with the rest of the world as the twin towers fell.
i lost so much that year - my innocence, my sense of immortality, my faith in a lot of things. but i learned so much too, about life and love and hope and despair.
i learned that there are no guarantees in this life - that it is short and should not be wasted worrying too much {or doing anything too much, for that matter}. that it should be spent loving and living and giving as much as possible. that anger and judgment were not worth the energy. that amazing beauty can come from catastrophic loss. i learned which things truly mattered and which were stifling trivialities.
i like to think that i carry these lessons with me as strongly as i did that year, but the truth is i'm constantly having to remind myself. one thing's for sure: i'll never forget the year my world was changed forever.