As so many people remember, it was a perfect day in late summer. Blue, blue skies, beautifully angled sun, a gentle breeze, leaves still green. As I drove out to work in New Jersey, I thought to myself, “What a perfect day!”
And then things changed forever.
It was five days before I could return from New Jersey to my apartment in Manhattan, and the city was different.
For a couple of months after September 11, 2001, New York was a city of supreme kindness and humanity. With every encounter, New Yorkers would ask each other, sincerely, “How ARE you?” And we would wait for and listen to the answer. We shared our stories.
I ran the NYC marathon that year, and the theme was “United We Run.” And we truly felt united on a perfect Sunday in early November.
May we continue to tell our stories and sincerely ask each other, “How ARE you?” And wait for the answer.
