Monday, April 22, 2013

Boston Strong

I went to the gym at 6 am Tuesday morning.  It wasn't even a question in my mind.  I went to bed Monday night terrified, devastated, and mourning the lives of my fellow Bostonians and the utter havoc that was caused.  But I went to bed with my alarm set to hit the gym early.  This wasn't done out of disrespect to those suffering, on the contrary, this was done because I didn't have a choice.  You see, I'm a Bostonian.

I walked to the gym that morning and every step brought me closer and closer

to the devastation.  Every step also made me stronger.  These men wanted to cripple us.  They wanted our fear, but as I walked through the beauty of our commons and into the Back Bay I just wanted to prove that sure, we might be hurting, but we were here.  I won't lie to you, I lost my breath when I rounded a corner and saw the unclaimed bags of runners belongings, the restaurants with full plates of food left behind, the cheerful signs and banners abandoned in haste...but I pressed on because this was my city.  And let me tell you-I wasn't the only one.

See that's what it is to be a Bostonian.  We're tough, but kind.  We're resilient, yet compassionate.  We're both selfish and selfless.  We push ahead and pull everyone with us.  We're not going to back down.  We're going to be stubborn, we're going to fight you at every step, and we're going to maintain our pride.


This week we saw the best of our city as the worst happened to it.  We were attacked, but within seconds the good of our people rose above the terror inflicted and fought for our neighbors.  We opened our homes to those needing shelter, and food was provided to those who took responsibility for finding the guilty parties.  We gladly respected the guidelines set up by law enforcement and did anything we could to help.

The thing is, that isn't really unusual, it's just Boston.  We were put into a terrible place this week, full of fear and anger and sadness and we responded, collectively, exactly as we should have, with help, compassion, respect and adherence.  That's just my city- a place where scholars gather, and athletes flock.   A hub of musical genius, and cultural history.  We have been fighting for the liberties the United States guarantees since the beginning, and we certainly aren't going to stop now.  See....this is Boston.


I want to take this opportunity to than our law enforcement personnel and officials, the governor and the mayor of Boston who took every precaution necessary to keep our city safe and successfully end our manhunt in just 100 hours.  We are now able to concentrate on healing, on mourning, and on paying respect without the fear of further attacks at the hands of these men. 

3 comments:

Kristen said...

well said. <3

Anonymous said...

Wonderfully put. Born in Boston, living in Lexington, Ma. and felt all that everyone was feeling. You put it perfectly.

yardsailor said...

Wonderful Tribute.

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