I woke up on this Friday morning very early, but that’s what happens when you go to bed at 8pm? What is my life.
Today is 9/11, which I’m always acutely aware of. I scrolled past one 9/11 related post this morning, reblogged by several people, and that post attempted to invalidate the experience of remembering 9/11 because more people have died in America from covid since Tuesday. I’m not gonna lie, that one stung. Does one tragedy have to invalidate the other? Can we not remember the lives lost and the terror that day caused for so many people while still being very aware of, respectful of, and doing everything we can do slow the spread of covid, wear our masks correctly, socially distance, and generally be good humans? I’m not sure why one has to exist without the other.
Maybe it’s because I live in NY and work in the city, but damn. This is the first 9/11 where I haven’t had to actually be in the city in a lot of years, and I can’t tell you what a positive difference that’s making for my anxiety. Typically today I live in constant fear and irrational (?) anxiety. Today I can stay home. I don’t have to be in a skyscraper, working, walking around smiling, pretending I’m not constantly thinking about a plane crashing into the side of my building.
Now the fact that I don’t have to go into the city is due to this god awful pandemic, and I realize and acknowledge that. I am blessed that I have a job that allows me to work remotely. I also have been doing everything in my power to ensure I don’t expose anyone else to the virus, taking all the precautions, and donating where I can. This year has been so fucked for so many people. Let’s cut each other some slack and not shame people for mourning one loss 19 years ago, despite the greater losses occurring today. There’s room for all of us, and both things can be valid. Am I wrong?
