Modern Communication

I didn’t understand the “are u safe? im at the u now too” text message at first – it followed an earlier text from the same friend asking about lunch, so I just replied that I was glad she had started her doctoral program, I had just landed from PA, and we’d have lunch next week.

The next “Are u safe?” text came after my mom had told me about the bridge collapse, so I understood what it meant!

I was annoyed at the airport that my call dropped about 6 times while I was trying to tell my mom which door to pick me up at – I just switched to Verizon from T-Mobile and was starting to regret it! But as I complained about it to her, she explained about the bridge and it became clear that the lines were just overloaded.

Flashback to September 2001!

I landed within an hour of the bridge collapse, and within an hour after that I had at least 3 texts from friends asking “are u safe?” – then a call, then another text… I had only called my brother after she told me about the bridge – his family was intact, my daughter was hundreds of miles away, and my mom was sitting right next to me, so all good. It just didn’t occur to me that I would know anyone in the tragedy!

Amusingly, my mother called my brother when she first heard the news – just to tell him to take a different way home, as 35W would be blocked off. She left a message & didn’t think twice about whether he might be IN it! We’re just not the worrying types, I guess.

But I have to admit it felt pretty good to have so many people checking on me… so I checked on a few more of my closest friends just because. Counted heads & all were present. One of my daughter’s friends told her that all their friends are accounted for – between texting & instant messaging I’m sure they counted heads in about 10 minutes!

Two of my good friends were in NYC on 9/11, so I was aware that the need to find out if people were OK must be strong for them. Both admitted they were more than a little freaked out by the situation. Apparently texts get through better than calls in busy times, so both used text and I was not surprised.

My boss’s brother’s wife’s sister is among the missing – that’s as close as it has come to me to my knowledge so far. Of course there are many more bodies yet to be pulled out, so who knows – but I’m feeling lucky, and loved, and blessed – by my loved ones and by modern communication. ☺