It was a beautifully clear day. I rode my bike to work in a hurry, as I had awakened a little late. It seemed a little strange that there was not much traffic on the streets, but I did not think about that much, as I was in a hurry to get to work.
As I pulled into the warehouse where my office was, I said something like “Hi, isn't it a beautiful day?” to one of my co-workers. He responded by saying, “Have you seen the news?” quite gravely.
I had not, so he recounted what he knew. At first I thought he was joking, or making it up to mess with me. I was not sure either way until I turned on the radio.
In that moment I knew that two things were going to happen: First, the economy was going to be in shambles. Second, I was going to lose my job. The first came about, but not as bad as I first thought. The second was a reality of the line of work I was in.
While I wish that all that destruction could be undone (not only for myself, but for everyone), I know that my life would have been shaped differently were it not for those circumstances.
The montage of images last night was thoughtful, but seemed somehow more gruesome than what I remembered. There are different levels of tolerance of violence on the news here in Brazil than in the US, so that may have had something to do with it.
What were you doing when you found out?
