A Year-long Week
I'll keep this post short because there really aren't enough words to explain or describe it all. I am assuming that by now you all know that this week has been the most tragic, stressful, tense and strange one ever for we Bostonians. It's hard to explain it all, all the conflicting and shifting emotions you feel constantly. I am angry, I am worried, I am terrified, I am anxious, I am devastated. It has been the longest week ever; I think it's safe to say that we will all finally sleep soundly for the first time this week.
The crazy part that makes this whole thing really scary in my mind is that I actually was supposed to go to the marathon that day but we ended up running late so we changed our plans and decided to grab dinner close to home instead of taking the train into the city. We came back after lunch to watch Hannibal when I decide to flip past the marathon quickly to see if I saw anyone I knew. We watched for about five minutes and then BOOM! Cloud of smoke and dust spreading rapidly across the screen and people running and screaming. My sister, mom, friend Tayla and I all gasped and sat there in silence, gaping at the television. I won't bore you with details but we essentially sat there for over an hour, just watching the chaos ensue and unfold before our very eyes. Time froze and I practically forgot to breathe.
A good friend of mine was watching the marathon in the area between the two blasts. She had some glass embedded in her leg and was covered in blood, but most of that was not hers. She told me how scared she and everyone else were, how people began panicking and fleeing, how some people were trampled by others, how others instead ran toward the blasts to help those injured. She also told me how frightened she was that she stood there in shock until someone finally grabbed her and pulled her away.
To say things have been insane, what with the manhunt, the entire city being shut down, and everyone paralyzed in fear and grief, would be a massive understatement. I suppose you could say that I "spoke too soon" with my last post. Like I said, you never expect that it will happen to you. So when it all is so very real and so very close to home, you find yourself at a loss for words.
As Bostonians, we sometimes get the reputation of being rude, leaving out R's in words, and our blood pressure rising at the sight of a Yankees logo. What people need to understand is that Boston and MA - we're a community, bound together. This devastation affects us all. The marathon is on equal level of the World Series or the Super Bowl for us. I think what people who aren't from MA don't get is that even if we're not from Boston, we claim we are. It's a pride thing. We're proud to be from a city that is accepting and filled with history, culture, sports and love. I love my family, I love my hometown, I love Massachusetts and I love Boston.
The crazy part that makes this whole thing really scary in my mind is that I actually was supposed to go to the marathon that day but we ended up running late so we changed our plans and decided to grab dinner close to home instead of taking the train into the city. We came back after lunch to watch Hannibal when I decide to flip past the marathon quickly to see if I saw anyone I knew. We watched for about five minutes and then BOOM! Cloud of smoke and dust spreading rapidly across the screen and people running and screaming. My sister, mom, friend Tayla and I all gasped and sat there in silence, gaping at the television. I won't bore you with details but we essentially sat there for over an hour, just watching the chaos ensue and unfold before our very eyes. Time froze and I practically forgot to breathe.
A good friend of mine was watching the marathon in the area between the two blasts. She had some glass embedded in her leg and was covered in blood, but most of that was not hers. She told me how scared she and everyone else were, how people began panicking and fleeing, how some people were trampled by others, how others instead ran toward the blasts to help those injured. She also told me how frightened she was that she stood there in shock until someone finally grabbed her and pulled her away.
To say things have been insane, what with the manhunt, the entire city being shut down, and everyone paralyzed in fear and grief, would be a massive understatement. I suppose you could say that I "spoke too soon" with my last post. Like I said, you never expect that it will happen to you. So when it all is so very real and so very close to home, you find yourself at a loss for words.
As Bostonians, we sometimes get the reputation of being rude, leaving out R's in words, and our blood pressure rising at the sight of a Yankees logo. What people need to understand is that Boston and MA - we're a community, bound together. This devastation affects us all. The marathon is on equal level of the World Series or the Super Bowl for us. I think what people who aren't from MA don't get is that even if we're not from Boston, we claim we are. It's a pride thing. We're proud to be from a city that is accepting and filled with history, culture, sports and love. I love my family, I love my hometown, I love Massachusetts and I love Boston.
BOSTON STRONG
04/15/13
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