Today is The Day

Today is The Day.

For someone out there, this is the day that changes everything. As you watch a TV screen, read a Tweet or hear it from a friend, it's the day that means your world will never be the same again.

Because you realize how horrifically evil humans can be to one another. You realize there are terrible people out there who do awful things to purposely hurt others, often without reason or rhyme. You realize you're never safe because monsters will lurk into the shadows of your world and will completely destroy it when you least expect it.

I hate that for someone out there, today is The Day.

My Day was September 11, 2011. When my anatomy and physiology teacher first told us the news, I laughed. In hindsight, I know it was an absolutely awful gut reaction, but yes. I let out a small chuckle that morning. Because who could be blind enough to accidentally fly into the top of a huge building in New York City, much less crazy enough to do so purposely? Surely my teacher was making it up.

But he wasn't. And the rest of that class period I felt myself slipping further and further away from something. A news junkie since age 13, all I could do when I came home from school each day that week was sit and watch the news and cry. I couldn't understand how a person could have so much hatred in their heart that they would be willing to do such a horrible thing. I'm still not sure I understand. In fact, after December 14, 2012 I know I don't.

That something I felt slipping away from me? I realize now that was the week, the day, the moment I went from being a child living in this world, dreaming of changing it with my writing and knowing perfection was a possibility to becoming a young woman who realized there's no such thing as perfection because sometimes bad things happen and you can't explain or change them. It's just a part of life.

That day changed how I saw the world and my understanding of my place in it.

That day was The Day.

And that's what I think of every time something horrible happens for no apparent reason. That for someone out there, today is Their Day. It's the day that changes their world and makes them see it a little more clearly - for better or worse.

We should be able to do better than this. Can't we do better than this?