Postscript

Last year, I blogged about my journal entry from 9/11, and my memories of that crazy, crazy day. But two weeks ago, I was reminded of a funny thing that I left out of my account.

I had forgotten that when we were all huddled up in my friend's apartment in Cleveland Park, watching CNN, her toilet was not functioning properly. The maintenance guy came up to fix it, but told her there was nothing wrong. My friend got annoyed and started arguing with him, while the rest of us sat around looking very uncomfortable. Eventually, she threatened to have us all pee in the toilet then and there. Another friend broke the stunned silence by loudly protesting "But I don't have to pee."

Despite everything, we laughed about it that day, and we continue to laugh about it now -- at least when we remember. When it happened, it was a respite from unthinkable tragedy. Today, it's just better than thinking about Bin Laden tapes, the war in Iraq, or even the offensive truck I saw driving around my office today with a picture of the twin towers in flames, a comment about god hating homosexuals, and a warning of how, if we're not careful, he'll let similar tragedy strike again.

A little humor never hurt anyone. Or, as Gene Weingarten said six years ago, and reiterated today, "When people are filled with grief, they need to cry. When people are filled with fear, they need to laugh."