What I Remember About September 11th September 11, 2011
Posted by lisawifemom in Random Thoughts and Observations.Tags: 11 september 2001, New York, Pennsylvania, pentagon
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The phone rings, waking us, it’s September 11, 2001. We turn on the TV, and a plane has crashed into the World Trade Center. The phone rings two more times. We watch as a second plane crashes into the second tower, and I go from disbelief and tears to terror and sobbing; it’s complete and utter shock that I’m feeling. There are two other planes, the Pentagon, Pennsylvania, more tragedy. WTF??? What is happening? Our phone really starts ringing off the hook, family members telling us to get out of our house, get away because we are so close to Los Angeles International Airport. I’m feeling helpless, small, confused.
It’s the same story of so many on the West coast, a phone call, TV, sobbing, questions. The memories are still so real, so emotional, so heavy, all these years later. I remember being very depressed for many days, not being able to turn off the TV, or the radio when I had to be in the car. I could hardly function, barely ate. My husband had to keep telling me to take a break or I would lose my mind.
I also remember my sister going into a very dark place, never leaving her house, never shutting off the TV. My mom and I discussed an intervention of such, maybe needing to force her to let it go for a bit, not forget, just to step away and get a grip on her own life. She insisted she just needed to go thru it and she’d be ok, and she was ok.
I still watch and listen to things I see about the tragic day. I’m not one to think it’s too much, I want to be reminded, I think everyone needs to be reminded; and I still sob. We’ve all gone back to our normal day-to-day lives; it does go on after all. For many, with direct ties, it has changed their lives in a huge way, however, for the rest of Americans, the changes are more subtle. Transportation is obviously the main one, but there are others-large events never had security before like now, there are still barricades in front of buildings, guards in places we never had them, and sadly, stereotyping on another level. Yes, things have changed, not in grand obvious ways, but they are there, lurking under the surface of the everyday life that we have resumed.
There have been many other tragedies since this one, tsunami, hurricanes, floods, earthquakes, etc.; however, I feel this one more intensely than the others, as I think many Americans do. I will never forget September 11th, and I don’t want to.
How Do You Handle Change? September 6, 2011
Posted by lisawifemom in It's All About the Twins.Tags: change, Mothers, Twin
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Why can’t I fall asleep? Geez, you’d think I was the one starting kindergarten tomorrow! Then as I lay here listening to my husband’s gentle snore, I realize it because my life is about to change, again. And yet his life will pretty much remain unchanged, except for the less frequent late nights with the kids. Which, let’s face it, is not necessary a bad thing. I’m talking the daily routine parts of our lives, for the most part.
I say again because since the twins were born, my “daily routine” has never been the same. First I stopped working, which was a huge, and not always good, change for me. Then there’s the day-to-day craziness of raising twins. Then, when I tried to find work, the economy had been turned on its ear, and again, more change for me, no job to be found.
Fast forward almost 6 years, with some other changes along the way (milestones, preschool, etc.), and after juggling the house, kids, and several part-time gigs, tomorrow my kids are going to be gone for 5 hours, every day! WTF? It’s going to seem weird at first, and now I will fiercely be looking to work, even more pressure on the job hunt now. Especially as I can finally look for different types of work, since little to no babysitting is required (see my earlier post to understand this, At what point does salary vs. babysitting costs make it worth taking the job?? ). Bam, another change! I know so many moms are relating to this, the first step of many to the empty house syndrome.
Meanwhile, hubby is still going to the same job everyday. Tomorrow, after we drop off the kids, his day will be the same, while mine will be forever changed. Not to say that things didn’t change along the way for him, obviously, I realize having kids has forever changed his life, but aside from getting up a bit earlier in the morning, and his evening no longer being his own, it hasn’t much changed his daily routine. I’m getting up earlier, no longer having my evenings, AND my daily routine is continually changing.
I don’t have any ill feelings about it, I don’t think one situation is better or worse than the other, it’s just the way our life has played out and I’m fine with it. But I think it does explain why I’m much more emotional about tomorrow (or now, later today), than he probably is, why I’m still awake at 2:00 A.M!
Have you and your partner both experienced many changes over the course of your relationship? If not, do you think the one with the more consistent daily routine recognizes the differences?
