I posted today on my biz Facebook page about the personal social-media-related aftermath of the Boston Marathon bombings. But there a hell of a lot more going on for me, and everyone, in the days that followed that horrid, disgusting day.
I was in the car and heard the first inklings of the devastation on the radio. It wasn’t long before it was confirmed that it was, in fact, terrorism and that there had been fatalities. Like everyone else, I went home and sat slack-jawed in front of the TV. I cried. So did my husband. I had a hotel reservation in Boston for April 16th which I quickly changed that afternoon so I could avoid the city. It was going to cost more, but my very budget-minded boss didn’t even blink at the expense when I said I was afraid, yes…afraid, to go into town.
I connected with people on Facebook who lived in Boston (see ‘the social-media-related aftermath’) with whom I’ve built lasting relationships. I listened to the radio and cried. I watched TV and cried. I, and all of my coworkers, WORKED because we weren’t going to let a couple of evil schmucks stop us. I read stories in the paper about the Lenox Hotel (I think it was them) preparing meals to deliver to the investigators in the sealed off area…and cried and smiled. I watched as things unfolded in Watertown. I saw the image of a SWAT team member bringing a family two gallons of milk when the city was on lock-down. And I cried and smiled. I read the piece from an “Esquire” writer about having to file a story on deadline when he was inadvertently ‘on lock-down’ with a one-night stand. And I smiled. I watched the crowds singing our National Anthem in the streets when the assailant was captured. And I smiled. I’m still crying – in fact I’m crying a little right now – but damn, Boston made…and makes…me smile. I’m not from Boston. I’ve lived on the Cape for nearly 30 years. But thanks to the marathon bombings and the wonderful, gritty, determined response of the people of Boston, I feel – at least a little – that Boston is my town. And I couldn’t be prouder.
