Seven Years Later

Much will be written and said today about this anniversary. The events on September 11th, 2001 were obviously horrific. We can cover the numerous inconsistencies another time.

On September 9th, 2001, I cancelled a trip to NYC which was scheduled to land at 8:24am on the 11th. I had done a lot of road trips and needed a break. We decided to reschedule a few weeks later in Toronto. Less than 48 hours later, the world changed.

It was eerie to try and call friends in New York hours after the attacks. I just kept trying numbers madly until I got through to someone who still had her Atlanta cell phone. For some strange reason her cell worked in Manhattan. It was strange to call numbers and hear nothing – no click, no static, nothing.

I've been in the media for more than half my life and we had to snap into action. It was clearly the most surreal day of my career.

Friends invited me to a film festival event that night but after what had happened, the event was cancelled. We still felt compelled to get together. We are all numb. Most people were numb. All we did was talk. Do you remember? We all stopped the racket and talked and shared.

The phone calls started up again last week as the anniversary again grew close. Some people felt it was time for us to move on, others were in tears. No doubt, today I'll reflect on the fragility of life.

Peace my friend.

km