A 9/11 Flashback
I was on the Today show on 9/11, when that whole horror unfolded. Matt Lauer had just finished an interview with a guy who had written a biography of Howard Hughes. I looked up and saw that the World Trade Center was in flames. I immediately thought the pilot of a small plane must have had a heart attack and flown into the building. And then I thought, thank goodness it's a quarter to nine, and most people aren't in the building yet.
It was so eerie to see flames lapping a high rise building once again on the island of Manhattan -- this time much further north. It happened 20 blocks from my apartment. I immediately wondered: do I know anyone who lives in that building? Were there any kids who went to my girls' school? It was 2:45. Were there people inside? Or were they out, running errands? Were they able to get out?
I thought once again that it must have been a small plane crash…and this time, I was right. But what a sad twist, when we heard the news about Cory Lidle. Then I thought: shouldn't we care just as much, even if it's someone we'd never heard of? Anonymity doesn't lessen the loss.
What a strange news day. It started with North Korea, Iraq, and the President's press conference. But then human tragedy on a much smaller scale happened right in our own backyard – and immediately brought back memories of the biggest story any of us have covered.