What to Do When Your City is Attacked

After you have checked that your loved ones are safe, find any way you can help.  Boston set up a website where we could sign up to help house stranded marathon runners and the Red Cross asked not to donate any more blood this week.  The need is continuous so donate away in the future.  Various Boston hospitals have wish-lists on Amazon where you can donate needed items.   You can help financially here.  Most importantly, it’s good to be informed, but you have to limit the amount of news you watch.  With the Boston attack, it became obvious that reporters/news outlets were salivating and loved spreading fear with occasional misinformation.

Allow yourself to freakout in small spurts if that helps.  Don’t wallow and get sucked into what-ifs.  Also, be mindful that people process fear and anxiety differently so it’s important to be compassionate and cut people some slack.  Personally, I let myself be upset Wednesday.  I’ve had to work through two cases of PTSD in the past twelve years so I know what is triggering and what is helpful.  The story I tell myself is that all of us have a veil of denial that we’ll live forever and nothing can hurt us.  Once that veil is ripped away, it takes a lot of work to get back to the normal level of denial – the veil back in place.  It’s like you go about your day but you are aware of the veil of denial so it doesn’t protect, it flickers in your periphery.

If you wake up one morning and discover your city is on lockdown and there’s a murderer loose, enjoy the lack of traffic on your commute while you make a mental list of everyone you know in the lockdown zone.   Accept the fact that you won’t be very productive at work as you refresh news sites for updates between waiting for your shelter in place people to check in about their status.

Finally, make sure you’re around loved ones and alcohol is plentiful the evening of lockdown day.   I was safe with a belly full of good food and margarita on hand as I watched the capture of the second suspect.  No better way to end the attack chapter.  Also, humor is a saving grace!  Best thing I read Friday night, “In Soviet Union you escape on boat! In America, boat traps you! What a country!

I think this is great:

Boston's Arc du Fort

To memorialize this past week, I'd love to see an arch over Boylston street.  At the apex of the arch could be some kind of scuplture or carving that symbolizes running.  Each corner could be for each fatality.  In my rough clip art version below,  I put the two youngest victims on the bottom.  Lingzi studied Stats, so a graph and Martin was still a child so a teddy bear.  From the news, I have heard about how kind and generous Krystle was so hand and heart and Sean apparently was born to be a policeman.  Since France has an Arc de Triomph, that's triumph, I think Boston should have an arch of strength.  This would make an easy finish line for the next 116 years of marathons.

Living in Interesting Times

Checking in on April 15, 2013

I have lived outside Boston for thirty-two years.  My dad worked in Boston and during February or April vacation, I would go into work with him.  I've stood on the sidelines handing out water to marathoners.  My first job after college was around the corner from Copley Square.

Today, I am counting my blessings that my family and friends are all safe and sound.  I am also very thankful that I don't have any children because how can you explain this kind of evil to an innocent?

In combination with obsessive cleaning,  and crying jags, I started looking here and here.  Because of course there has to be a reason that a hate-filled crazy person picked today.  Then, I remembered CRAZY.

Let me just tell you, the ranks of wheelchair marathoners will be huge next year and I will be cheering them on from the sidelines.