 by Jackie Fine
Since 9/11, our relationships have become stripped of the outside
concerns that once bogged us down.
I've noticed our citizens turn our energy once more to love. We've
turned off our pagers, our cell phones, stayed offline and away
from the television long enough to have that cup of coffee with
each other. What matters now, more than ever, is having someone
we can count on. All we have is ourselves and the person next to
us.
I'm glad we realize it. What happened to remind us of that has
scarred our nation, but scars teach us important lessons. They
remain a part of us so that we will forever remember all we've
learned.
When I was younger, I used to watch my grandmother wash clothes
on an old washing machine. After the clothes were clean, she'd
run them through two rolling pins to squeeze all the water out.
One day, while she hung the clothes outside to dry, I let my curiosity
get the better of me.
I took one of my cousin's yellow socks and tried running it through
the pins. They caught my fingers and pulled in my arm up to my
elbow. I must have screamed loud enough to wake the dead, because
in seconds my grandmother had come running, smacked the machine,
and stopped the pins.
I almost crushed my arm that day, and I still have a scar where
the skin rubbed off. It's faded and hardly noticeable now, but
I did learn not to stick my hands in just any old place.
We always learn the hard way. Once we do, though, we rarely forget.
I hope that's what happens to us now. Our world has been turned
upside-down and shaken. Then shaken some more. We watched innocent
people die, live on television. I'll never rid my head of the images.
And I don't want to. I want to remember if only because I appreciate
my partner that much more.
I want to remember, because it restores to me the natural order
of life. People first: money, hobbies, and other time expenditures
are only the accessories we use to decorate our lives. I love my
shoe collection, but I love my friends and lover more. Our daily
lives need to reflect that.
Don't let the day close without telling your partner how you feel.
Try to convey that feeling as best you can.
Remember, life happens in between the I-love-you's. I think we
should live our lives like the I-love-you's. And please, don't
limit this to your lover; live the I-love-you with everyone close.
If you don't tell them with actions AND with words, then they won't
know. They need to.
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