Twenty years ago, I was living and working in England. On Tuesday 11th September 2001, I went home for lunch as I did most days and turned on the TV. Every channel was showing images of a plane crashing into the Twin Towers at the World Trade Centre in New York. I was completely in shock and couldn’t process what I was seeing.
When I went back to the office, my colleagues had heard the news. I don’t think any work was done that afternoon as we stared wide-eyed at the horrifying images. There was an air of panic and catastrophe although we were far away from the tragedy.
I had a really uneasy feeling. In the midst of my compassion, I was full of fear for myself. My boyfriend and I were due to start a world trip at the start of October and our first stop was America. I was already nervous about going travelling and hearing of this terrorist attack convinced me that we shouldn’t go.
Despite my fears, we arrived in the US on 3rd Oct 2001. Almost everywhere we went, the American people thanked us for visiting their country. US Flags adorned every building and T-shirts with commemorative messages were being sold on the streets and in the shops. America was already trying to bounce back from tragedy.
I was in awe of the bravery of so many people and felt silly about my own fears.
That world trip saw us visit America, French Polynesia, The Cook Islands, Fiji, New Zealand, Australia and Thailand. It was definitely one of the greatest experiences of my life. Aside from the amazing sights and incredible people, I learnt a huge amount about different cultures, different perspectives and I learnt a lot about myself.
I almost missed it all.
Don’t let fear rule your life.
Feature Image Credit: Anthony Fomin via Unsplash
Sinead Huskisson 