Yesterday was a rough day.
Boston has always been my city. I grew up just a short drive away in New Hampshire, so I constantly traveled to Massachusetts for concerts, field trips and special events. Eventually, I moved there for college and continued working there for a couple years after graduation. Even though I moved to New York just over a year ago, I’ve always considered Boston my home (second only to my beloved NH, of course).
On top of that, my family has quite a history with the Boston Marathon. My sister ran last year, and almost ran again this year. And for as long as I can remember, my parents have volunteered at one of the first aid stations by Heartbreak Hill. Thankfully, all three of them were far away from the blasts at the finish line yesterday. The majority of my friends also live in the city, and many of them were at the race yesterday. I am so, so grateful that all of my loved ones are safe. I can’t begin to express the concern and panic I felt yesterday, refreshing Facebook constantly to see who else had checked in. I am blessed—my love goes out to those who were not so lucky.
I’m always horrified by these violent events, but this one makes my heart ache. Looking at all the photographs, I see the streets I used to walk multiple times a day, now covered in blood. Seven journalism students covering the finish line for my alma mater were hospitalized with minor injuries. I’m not sure how to process yesterday, especially from here in New York.
But as President Obama said yesterday: “Boston is a tough and resilient town; so are its people.” We will pull together and move forward. I hope when the Boston Marathon returns, there are more runners than ever before. We get knocked down, but we get up again.
The finish line has always been a symbol of accomplishment and inspiration. While I certainly won’t forget what happened yesterday, I choose to focus on my sister’s triumphant finish last year instead. She looked so happy and proud. I look forward to seeing her finish again next time. Maybe I'll even join her.
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| Giving "Ridiculously Photogenic Guy" a run for his money. |
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