This morning I started off to work before dawn as usual. I paused for a minute to admire the stars, the moon and the peaceful silence before I remembered it was the 11th anniversary of 9/11.
Back then I was doing the same thing. I had woken up before dawn and headed out but all those years ago it was to a gym to work out, not work. I saw the footage live as it happened on the news. As a nation our world changed.
We didn’t know it then. I told my husband at the time that things would be different from then on. I told him that the Towers falling would be the catalyst that would eventually land us in a global economic depression so harsh the Great Depression would look like a walk in the park. The way things are looking lately I may have, sadly, been right.
But things are only dark if you keep your eyes closed. The Great Depression also grounded a nation that had gone haywire with artificial affluence. There were plenty of sad stories but there were also tales of success. More millionaires were made at that time than any other in history. Depressions are scary but they also level the playing field and open up the rules. Open rules mean more opportunity. The trick is keeping your eyes open and your assets liquid.
It’s been 11 years since the Twin Towers fell but as a nation we don’t have to follow suite. Catastrophe happens and shakes us to our foundations. I’ve learned that lesson on a personal level after this past, crazy year. But I also learned how resilient we are, and how surviving often turns into thriving. Sometimes a good knock just shakes the dust off so the treasure underneath can shine.
No matter how dark the night, the sun always rises tomorrow.
Links of Hope:
Such a sad day in this country’s history. I remember my brother and i had just gotten home from school ( we lived in germany then) and were watching a cartoon when they cut off all regular tv and showed what was happening.
But in that time the US has shown its resiliance, and Tower 1 is growing taller every day.