Answer to "where were you"

Somebody started a thread on paddling.net -

asked where people were.

I have a hard time not answering that - even though I have a ton of work - yes, September 11th at the Really Big Children's Publishing Company is just a day in the quarter-end close period, I can reflect all I want after work - but there were an interesting range of answers. Here was mine:

I was at the World Trade Center. I got away on the last subway out of there. It came in as I was trying to decide whether it would be safer to stay inside the subway station, or go outside where things were blowing up. I didn't know what the things were yet as I had run inside after the first explosion. I saw the train pulling in, managed to catch it & rode to 23rd street. Stopped in a diner where I finally saw on television what I'd just run away from. I went to Pier 63 where the office of Manhattan Kayak Company was (I was a partner at the time) and helped out when the party boats Horizon & Royal Princess showed up and started taking people to New Jersey. I was stunned so I wasn't much help but I walked up & down the line talking to people, answering questions (I think I said "No, it's free, you don't have to pay anybody" most) & reassuring them that we would get them out of Manhattan, the boats were going as fast as they could.

Sept. 11th is a hard day for me but I think about people who live places where people get blown up or kidnapped or killed or starved every day and I think "They would trade with me in a second and think themselves lucky".

many many many more thoughts of course but can't put down anything more now. Good at least to be around to be regretful & wishing that I could take the day off & go somewhere & reflect though.