Reflections

Santa Cruz Chronicles

I may be crazy. But so what. I’m simply fortunate enough to live in a country where I am free to do what I love every single day. 

Every year on this day for the last 11 years, my stomach churns. Something about today—no matter how many years go by—just makes me feel uneasy and perhaps a bit sick to my stomach. 

Thoughts of all sorts blaze through my mind. I think about waking up that morning 11 years ago, and thinking that someone was randomly watching an action movie on the 8-inch color t.v. screen in the master bedroom before school started. It makes the first day of 7th grade seem like yesterday. Especially for someone who’s out of college. Eleven years later and my stomach still churns. Maybe because it’s the fact that terrorism exists and it’s still out there. Maybe it churns because you and I are the lucky ones who didn’t lose their lives on that tragic day, when so many innocent people did. Maybe it’s because you and I both know that we often take our country and our freedom for granted, and we wish we could express our gratitude more frequently.

Today, I head out on my daily run with a different attitude and mindset than any other day. It’s hard to even put the exact feeling into words. Today I run with a thankful heart, a pensive mind, and a captivated soul. And while today will always be a day in which my stomach will churn, to be honest, I’m okay with it.