Remembering 9/11...

My view... standing on the Navy Pier in Chicago... a fitting picture for today

I'm sure that unless you are living in some sort of space bubble, you are aware that today is the anniversary of the biggest tragedy to ever rock the United States. And you know, I have to admit, at the time that it happened, I really didn't know what to think about 9/11. I was young, I was in college, and even though I like to consider myself a realitively intelligent person, I never really got just how much it was going to change my world. It was a beautiful day, much like the day in the picture above, and I had showered and gotten ready for class. I realized I had forgotten to call my mom back the night before, and I dialed her. I knew she'd be up. She wasn't a college student. I blabbered on about my Spanish test and class, and then asked her what was wrong. She sounded really sad. And she said, "Kate, don't you have any idea what is going on? Turn on the tv. We've been attacked." For the rest of the day, it was calls to dad. Have you heard from Ab? Did they evac her building (then in downtown DC)? Is Uncle Jer ok(then with the Pentagon)? It was scary, but still had not sunk in. It was sad, most definitely, but I never really understood fully the ramifications that that day was going to have. Growing older and moving out into the "real world" and meeting new people and having new experiences, has definitely changed my perspective on the whole thing.

I guess one thing that's had a big impact on that has been the experiences that I've had at CFOT and all the military people I've met. It makes me angry that my friends are being shot at because one group of people can't understand the concept of coexistance. I understand that my friends signed up for that, but at the same time, it does not warm my heart. Also, getting my first "real" teaching job has shifted my thinking too. I'm not a parent (yet, and when I do, they will all be PSU fans) but having a class full of 25 kids can, at times, make your parental instincts kick into high gear. It makes me angry that this morning I had the task of explaining to 8 year olds why they keep hearing things about 9/11, and explaining to them what really happened that day.

Instead, I want to protect them and allow them to live on thinking that nothing bad will ever happen to them or anyone in their family, but reality won't let me do that. If you've never tried to explain what happened on 9/11 without using a bunch of explatives and a bunch of really nasty names for people, believe me when I say it's not as easy as you would think. It makes me angry that I have to tell my kids about it. But, knowing all of the people in the services that I know now, I know that they are trying. They are doing the best that they can to keep people, myself and my kids included, safe. And I feel better knowing that I can at least reassure my kids that there are people out there working to make sure they are safe. I know that there are "sheepdogs" out there that stand between the sheep and the wolves circling them, every single day. I know that they do things that normal people wouldn't do, like carry a loaded weapon (concealed of course) so that should they ever find themselves in a situation, they are ready to handle it. They're the people that sleep between the door and their loved ones so that someone has to go through them first. They truly don't get enough credit for what they do, and as I grow older, I appreciate them much, much more.

To honor all the victims of this terrible day, as well as the sheepdogs who carry on, CFOT hit a special 9/11 workout. Today's pain felt like this:

"We Shall Never Forget"
Part 1: The Twin Towers
800 Meter run
10 rounds of
9 Burpees
11 Chins
Part 2: The Pentagon
800 Meter run
10 rounds of
9 KB High pull (45)
11 Jumping slamball (12 lb)

I finished this in 47:18. I thought that respectable, but I am sure I got smoked later by everyone else. But I did it RX'd. Despite all of my whining (and I'm sure I'm going to get flack for this) the burpees felt pretty smooth. Close to the end, I was hitting fatigue and I was pretty tired, but the ring dips yesterday took a lot out of me. The chins felt pretty smooth and I did 11 straight a few times, but mostly was able to hold sets of 8 then 3 add ons.

I have to say though that the swings and jumping slamballs did not go as quickly as I would have liked. My legs were pretty sore from the deadlifts on Tuesday and then the box jumps yesterday, but I still did ok. I finished, and on a day like today, that's what counts. Not that it matters, but I think I was the only person at zero dark thirty to go RX'd. A lot of people had to get to work and went with the express version which was 5 rounds, but the same numbers. It was really a lot of metcon but it felt alright today. Maybe the groove is coming back? We'll see, we'll see.

To all the fallen heroes and innocent victims... godspeed.