Thanks Rox! That's one of the reasons I'm doing the vlog. I know there are others out there who are going through similar circumstances and if me taking a few moments out of each day to record myself rambling about mine and it helps someone, just one person, with their issues, then I will feel like I've accomplished something. Now I need to go upload the latest entry.
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The new vlog entries up for anyone interested. Little bit more serious today, all things considered.
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I'm going to reply to today's blog here.
It's a day I will never forget. I was driving truck that day, and when the World Trade Center went down, I was in Hunt's Point Produce market. That's in the Bronx, NY. I had a load of cantaloupe that I had picked up in Yuma, Az just over 48 hours before. Now it's a 43 hour drive on just drive time alone, so I'll leave it to you to figure out where my head was.
They were unloading my truck, and had about 2/3 of the load off when all hell broke loose. Anyway short version, I wan't hanging around. A few quick pull ups and reverses managed to get most of the rest of those melons off my truck, and onto the ground.
As you know, people tried to get out any way they could, many on foot. Being a semi, the police were letting us through the toll gates at the George Washington bridge (The GW to those familiar with it). It was a huge traffic jam, but really not that much worse than any other rush hour going over the GW. Well on the way to the bridge, I had picked up a young woman who was trying to leave on foot, or at least that's what she initially told me.
As we sat in traffic, she eventually told me that her husband had been in the Trade Center, talking to her on his cell phone when it happened. He was killed. I figured she wanted to get out of the city and, get to a bus station to go to family or something. I didn't press her for much information. We got through the toll booth and onto the lower deck of the bridge, the upper was closed for security reason and, only commercial traffic was being allowed across the lower deck. Half way across or so, without a word, she opened the passenger door and jumped off that bridge to her death. I was her suicide ride. (If you've seen some of my other posts, you have a good idea of the impact that had on me.)
So No I don't think we can forget, but I do think we need to tone it down, focus more on what's ahead instead of what happened that day. I know today drags me back to that woman, and to a time in my life before that where I don't need to be, it's a fight not to let it get to me too badly. And all of the recounting and stories of those that dies in there just makes it harder. I imagine it's the same for the families of the victims.
It's time we stopped looking back and, looked forward, focused more on the lessons we learned, and the strength we all gained going through that horrible day.
On a side not of sorts, the days following 9-11 were an amazing experience as a truck driver. No trains, no planes, no one but us moving the freight, and keeping this country going. Stores only have enough inventory for three days on average, yet did one of you outside of the main impact areas even notice that the shelves were never empty, that it seemed not to effect commerce very much at all? I'll always take pride in being one of the drivers that kept those shelves full and, kept the freight moving when no one else could.
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Wow Blue!! What a story. I hate to hear that about the young woman. I would be pretty scarred by that as well. It saddens me to hear o anyone who commits suicide. It's such a permanent fix to a temporary situation. But I know that a lot of people don't see their situation as being temporary cause I've been there and thought that. There have been three times in my life now that I've contemplated suicide and all three times I've been brought out of a very dark place by someone really close to me.
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Yeah, I've been a bit closer than that to it, okay a lot closer - my partner coming back to the truck earlier than he should have and, him knowing CPR is the only reason I'm still here. I understand the thought process, what got to me was that I feel like I should have heard something in her voice, seen something in her expressions, had some clue. I missed something and, if I hadn't she might have stayed in my truck. I KNOW, logically that isn't the case, but that doesn't stop my emotions from feeling otherwise.
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Thank you for the new link.
You are such a cutie ,please keep us updated.
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Thanks everyone for all the nice comments both on here and on YouTube. And thanks to those who have subscribed so far. I'm working on compiling all the footage for today's episode right now. Going to be kinda long because of what I was doing (37 minutes) so I hope I don't bore you all to death today. It's taking it's own sweet time too. Don't know if it's due to the length of the footage or if it's just the crappy software I'm using. I really need better editing software.
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