Ten

Until I was 22, I was a New Yorker. The plan was that after I graduated from college, I would move back to New York, and get a job and an apartment in the city. But things don't always go as planned. In February 1997, I made the decision to leave New York and move to Boston. And it's at least partly due to that decision that I consider myself one of the lucky ones. As we observe the tenth anniversary of 9/11, I can look back on that day and know I was nowhere near the World Trade Center. Instead, I was in Boston, on my second day at a brand-new job, being told about the benefits package, when the first tower was hit.

Of course, this all is not to say that I wasn't affected by the attack or the events of 9/11. It's just that I know that I didn't lose any friends or family members that day, and however my life was changed, it's nothing compared to the hundreds of thousands of people who were there, or who lost someone close to them, and who have never been the same since. Today, more than most days, those people are on my mind and in my heart. I may never have met those we lost, but through the moving tributes I've heard and read, it's hard not to feel a real sense of loss. And I do know many people who were in the World Trade Center area, were close, or who lost someone on September 11, 2001. So my heart goes out to them, because I'm sure today won't be an easy day.

Ten years later, the world is a very different place. If you can read this, then consider yourself one of the lucky ones too. We must all band together to celebrate life and never forget.