A Simpler Time

In my lifetime, there have been many historic events: the Challenger explosion, the Berlin Wall coming down, Desert Storm, the Oklahoma City bombing, the Columbine shooting, Hurricane Katrina, and perhaps most significantly, September 11th.  Such milestones spark conversations, usually beginning with someone asking "Where were you when...?".  Of course, there were also many happy events that were cause for celebration, but somehow the bad times seem to stand out as "historic".  

Today will likely stand out as just such an historic day.  With the announcement of Bin Laden's death comes great relief, a new appreciation for the astounding men and women who fight every day to protect the freedoms that we take for granted, but also a new awareness of the evils of the world.  The news channels are constantly streaming images of crowds celebrating across the country, while simultaneously warning that retribution is certainly on the way and that we cannot let our guard down.

Days like this put into sharp perspective what life was like before.  It forces reflection on what has transpired over the course of time, and reminds us how quickly things can change.  Looking back, some remember it with relative clarity, while others can't picture what that world was like.  

Amazingly, there was a time, not so long ago, when we weren't constantly looking over our shoulders, when we didn't have to remove our shoes at a security checkpoint, when we could turn on the news and not hear about the "War on Terror", when life was just a little simpler, just a tiny bit easier. 

It's funny how two seemingly unrelated things can connect so closely to one another. Yesterday afternoon I happened to find "My Best Friend's Wedding" on one of the movie channels.  Having not seen it for a number of years, I settled in to enjoy.  Early in the movie Julia Roberts arrives in Chicago, and she is seen coming off the plane and being met by her best friend in the terminal.  That brief scene had me thinking back to what it was like when we could actually meet people at the gate as they came off their planes, rather than waiting at the security checkpoint.  It seemed random at the time, but with today's news, and the inevitable reflection that it prompted, the relevance hits me. 

That scene reminded me of a simpler time.  It's not just about terrorism, the inconvenience of security that we've learned to live with, or a threat that we can't see.  It's about having an appreciation for the way things were, whether on a global scale, or simply the way we live day to day, and looking back on it with nostalgia, wishing that life could be like that again.