Yesterday, the very sad anniversary of the 2001 terror attacks on the United States, I found myself avoiding news coverage and retrospectives about the horrors of that day.
CNN aired a series of programs about the death and destruction of that horrible day. I refused to watch any of them. I know too well what happened. I have heard about the nearly 3,000 innocent lives taken that day, and about the first responders who have died from exposure to substances unleashed in the buildings' collapse. I am familiar with the tales of heroism by the passengers of United Airlines flight 93 as they broke into the cockpit and brought the plane down in a field in Pennsylvania, likely sparing the US Capitol building in Washington, DC.
Instead, I decided to focus on beauty by looking at some of the photographs I have taken over the years of amazing landscape scenes around the world. I also investigated future photography trips for 2022.
Sometimes, when the weight of the world seems too much to bear, when the grief and sorrow and painful memories threaten to overwhelm us, the best thing to do is to acknowledge the grief and sadness, and then to do something that brings us peace and beauty. This does not mean we don't care, or that we have forgotten that day. It means simply that we acknowledge the pain and accept that for us, the pain is too much to bear.
For me, peace comes from escape through reading, writing and looking at beautiful pictures. Going outside for a walk is another comforting activity.
Especially during this time of deep political divisions and a never-ending pandemic that threatens all of us, it is more important than ever to take care of each other and ourselves.
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