Who’s the Old Guy With the Green Face?
Beautiful day! The sun is shining, and it's always enjoyable to be on campus. I needed to grab a book from the library before I headed to work. While I was checking out, I saw a weird headline on a computer screen. Odd. Never mind, though, as I was cutting it close and needed to sprint to work. I quickly arrived at my destination, a buzzing computer lab in a dungeonous building on the west side of campus. It wasn't the most exciting job in the world, but essentially getting paid to do my homework was a win/win. The morning quickly derailed from the status quo. I opened my web browser and saw that the headline I'd seen at the library wasn't just odd; it was the beginning of what would become one of the greatest tragedies I'd ever experience. The day was 9/11/2001.
Yesterday was the 25th anniversary of 9/11. I saw a few video clips about it, but I wasn't thinking too much about it. However, while I was on the way to a meeting, I realized that I was driving to the very city I experienced that day 25 years ago: Ames, IA. I was 20, a sophomore at Iowa State University.
Back to my drive. As I headed north on the Interstate, memories of that day flooded back. Then, it dawned on me that I had some extra time at my disposal. In what might be considered a morbid ritual, I decided to retrace my steps from that day 25 years ago.
I started at the library. Although the main lobby has since been completely renovated and reorganized, I could still see (in my mind) where the previous check-out desk had been. I could see that old, clunky computer monitor with an image of a plane flying into an iconic building. Just as I stepped out of the library, I ironically stumbled into a temporary 9/11 memorial on the lawn.
After taking it in, I scurried to the old dungeonous academic building just as I did that fateful day. Do computer labs still exist? Is that building even still in use? Sure enough, the computer lab was still there! There were a lot of people milling about, so I didn't awkwardly stay too long. I found the exact location where I witnessed the horrors of 9/11 unfold.
The entire time, I had a pit-in-my-stomach feeling. My chest felt tight. My thoughts were racing. I probably looked unwell. My face was probably somewhere between pale and green. It felt like a fever dream. I could only imagine what all those young people were thinking. "Who's the old guy with the green face?" Needless to say, it was a surreal experience; I'm glad I did it. I can't help but think about how much that day shaped the journey I've taken over the past 25 years.
Whether we like it or not, who we are and how we think is shaped by what we experienced throughout our journey. Every quirk, opinion, perspective, and behavior you have has been influenced by what's happened to you. That's neither good nor bad, but an inescapable reality. There's more to discuss about this topic in a future post, but in the interest of time and space, I want to challenge you with something today. Think about a weird or unhealthy habit or behavior you have around work or money. Now, look back on your journey and figure out where it came from. It's right there in front of you. Often, the answers that help us get to a better place lie in our past....if we can find it. More to come.
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