Unless you live under a rock, you probably heard by now that there were two bombs that exploded in Boston on Monday during the famous Boston Marathon. I was sitting in my office, about 10 miles outside of Boston, when I started seeing posts on Facebook about bombs near the finish line. I started watching the local CBS station online and chatted with my co-workers about what had happened. I immediately said it reminded me of 9/11 and I started having scary flashbacks to that horrible day.
And almost immediately, I began thinking of my friends who were running in the marathon or rooting them on. Fortunately, again for social media, I was able to quickly see people’s posts that they were ok and not hurt.
None of my friends were physically hurt, thank goodness, but I think it is safe to say that most of us are emotionally crushed. Someone fucked with our city. One of the many, many things I love about living in Boston is the community here and how, despite having a reputation of a rough exterior, we’re a bunch of softies who love each other. So, when someone messes with us, we all band together. It’s pretty simple. Just look at sports in Boston. People wholeheartedly and passionately love the Red Sox, the Patriots, and the Celtics. It’s hardcore. And when you get a stadium full of those passionate fans, you create a community…or as we call it, a “nation.”
It’s touching to see how the rest of the country and world, for that matter, have reached out to support us Bostonians in our time of need. My buddies and I here have commented on great our friends and family have been: calling, texting, reaching out on social media. It’s taking that communal feeling and casting a wider net.
I know this blog is normally about dating and whining “When will he call?” but I think it is important to reflect on what is going on in the here and now. While our lives in Boston are forever changed, I think most of us feel like we cannot let the terrorists win. We need to go on living our lives and embracing this amazing city that we live in.
ALL ROADS LEAD TO ROAM 