I remember the 9/11 terror attacks. Being told by someone at the office that it had happened but not really understanding the situation because I didn’t even know what the World Trade Centre was.
I remember leaving work that night and seeing the images for the first time on TV in the shop window display that I walked past on the way to the train station; the uneasy feeling creeping in that life had just changed forever.
But I also remember the humbling stories of the acts of bravery and heroism that occurred that day, and how a few years later I arrived in New York and fell in love with it’s unstoppable spirit.
I remember the 7/7 bombings in London. Suddenly getting calls from my family to ask if I was safe and having to reassure them that I wasn’t working in London that day. I remember the relief when I got a “We’re okay” text from my friend working at Head Office.
I remember the crowds of us walking in a determined silence to our offices each day for weeks whilst the tube lines were closed. I remember how one day whilst waiting at the traffic lights a woman in a headscarf was shouted at by a man who’d bumped into her who told her to “go back to your country and stop bombing us”.
But I also remember how another stranger immediately put a protective hand on her shoulder and told the man that his views were disgusting. And how as soon as the tube reopened we were all back on it; wary and nervous but determined not to let the fear beat us.
And I’ll always remember being confused yesterday when I started to see the #prayforparis images appear on Facebook and then my tears as I watched the horrific events unfold. The feeling of utter hopelessness and fear for the people of Paris and the sheer incomprehension of such meaningless acts.
But I will also remember how despite the terror, the Parisians opened their doors to let people on the streets know that they had a safe place to stay. And I remember the Paris that I know. A place of beauty and hope and resilience and inspiration. The place where I got engaged and have had some of the best experiences of my life. (And hope to have many more).
Most of all, I remember that the actions of the few do not reflect the views of the many, and that there is still love and light and hope and good in this world.
