Our lives are defined through many unique moments: some traumatic, some funny, and some historical. Today, was one of those moments that will join so many of my past memories.
Where were you when the space shuttle Challenger blew up? I remember watching that in my classroom at Maplewood North Elementary school. Our teacher gathered the whole grade in one room, wheeled the TV in for us to view it, and discussed the tragedy.
Where were you when the Berlin Wall came down? I vaguely remember being an adolescent/ preteen as the wall came down and watching footage on the evening news with my dad.
Where were you when the Oklahoma City Bombing happened? I remember going to Chris' frat house after an English class in college, and he told me to watch the news reports about the event.
Where were you for the OJ verdict? I was running late for my Modern Poetry class in college, just waiting to find out if he would be convicted. A group of us stood in the library converged on a little television.
Where were you for the final episode of Seinfeld? Chris and I were living in Wauwatosa at the time, and we watched it huddled on our archaic couches. I even taped it on my VCR!
Where were you when September 11th happened? I was a new mom of two little boys, and I was at home trying to keep my sanity. My friend called and told me to turn on the news. I cried most of the day out of fear for my brother who worked there, and I kept watching the news between breastfeeding and diaper changes.
Where were you when our first African American president was sworn in to office? Today, I realized the gravity of the moment. It is final exam week, so a few of my favorite teacher friends and I gathered in a classroom and watched history happen. We laughed, ate snacks, graded finals, and cried. We watched the parade of people enter. We watched Obama's incredible speech. We watched the reaction of the people in attendance. Truly amazing!
Leading up to today, I was frustrated a little with the hype surrounding the day, yet today I found myself intentionally mired in it. It is a monumental day. It is history in the making. It is a moment that I will always remember.
2 comments:
I too was getting tired of the hype. Until today... I couldn't unglue myself from the broadcasts! History in the making!
What a speech! I loved it... cried throughout it and kept telling Noah to look at President Obama on TV (as if he had any clue). What a day.
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