Every year I think I should write something about 9/11. I haven't until this year. I don't know why I'm doing it – maybe it's cathartic – but I hope you get something out of it.

I live in western New Jersey now, but I grew up in the northeastern part of the state, about 15 miles from Manhattan. As you might suspect, I wasn't into the city as a kid, and I'm still not a city guy. But a lot of my friends are, and so are their friends.

One of those friends died on 9/11 in the World Trade Center. I think of him from time to time, and certainly today. I was having breakfast this morning, my head cycling through everything I had to get done today, and my wife said, "It's September 11th."

Oh, that's right. Different stuff going through my head.

On the way to work, I listened to the radio. All the news channels had the same thing: people reading the names of everyone who lost their lives on that day. Heard my friend's name, and almost lost it in the car. Came on sudden. Weird.

I had to go to the doctor's office before work this morning. I'm sitting there trying to read a magazine, but a TV is on in the waiting room. I see my friend's wife (widow, I guess) read a few names and tell him she misses him, and then I see the real-estate agent my wife and I used and became friends with do the same about her husband.

It all happened pretty quickly because I wasn't in the waiting room all that long.

You know that whole "six degrees of separation" thing, where everyone in the world is supposedly connected to one another by just six other people? Well, when it comes to 9/11 in this part of the country, it's at most two degrees. If you didn't know someone yourself, you know someone who knew someone.



And it's a lot worse for some people. One buddy of mine lost two friends in the towers, and the mother of one of his other friends was in the plane that hit one of the towers. He was messed up for a while. Probably still is a little.

I don't know if he's gone to ground zero (we don't talk about it), but I haven't. I won't. Can't. I don't know what it is. Many of my friends feel the same way.

Ever been to Gettysburg – the Civil War battlefield? It feels strange. A lot of people died there. I'm betting it would be a whole lot stranger (for me, anyway) going to ground zero in Manhattan.

Maybe I'm a wuss about it. Who knows.

Why

Why am I telling you this stuff? I guess just to let you know that for people from the New Jersey, New York, Connecticut area, 9/11 is never really over. Maybe it isn't for you either, even if you don't live around here.

It's probably the same for people who live and work in and around Oklahoma City. They'll probably live with that terrible day for the rest of their lives, everyone a little anchored to that day, that point in time.

What have I learned from all of this? The main thing is that life is short. Hardly a unique revelation, but it's true.

If someone's a jackass, I have no use for them. If it's a nice day and nothing's pressing, I'm going fishing. If it's a choice between being serious about something and having fun with it, I'm opting for the latter. I hope you do too.

I feel so strongly about it that I've thought about making 9/11 a BassFan holiday. Everyone who works here gets the day off. But I think that would be the wrong thing. Yes, it's good to remember. But taking the day off doesn't feel right to me.

Personally, it feels right to work my butt off on September 11th. I can't really explain why. Maybe it just feels more American to do that. And I'd feel pretty bad taking a day off when our soldiers aren't.

A Big Thanks

Speaking of that, I'd really like to thank everyone who's worked on any and all reactive and proactive measures to 9/11, especially the members of our armed forces – and especially the people on the ground. You're my heroes.

I really, really hope that our involvement in Iraq isn't mostly politically or economically motivated. That's not a criticism – it's just what I hope. Because it always happens that good, salt-of-the-earth people do the fighting, hoping probably like I do that those calling the shots don't have their heads up...in a dark place.

Not to compare putting your life on the line to bass fishing at all, but that kind of reminds me of corporate-controlled bass fishing: the everyday good folks getting caught up in a bunch of BS.

That's when you apply the "life is too short" rule and do what you want.

Thanks for reading.