It’s only a matter of time before it hits close to home. That’s what I thought while reading about the terror attack in New York City. I think about this whenever another attack happens, but each time it seems to creep closer to my circle. This was the closest to me, as I frantically contacted my friends who live there. But seriously, how long until this happens in my town? My family? And this isn’t to feed the terror, I’m really asking.
This isn’t the first time someone’s asked this question. It’s proposed every time another attack happens, but my heart breaks. If only for the kids who live in New York City, whose parents had to tell them that they couldn’t go out this year, my heart breaks. The kids who were looking forward to trick-or-treating and were disappointed as only a kid can be. I don’t know what to do about this, but I know my heart breaks.
And I think that we should be able to come together and agree that our hearts are breaking. Every time we read about this in the news, our hearts should break for the victims and families. And I feel like I shouldn’t say that because it’s insulting to our empathy as humans, but it has to be stated. Repeatedly.
Even though my friends were nowhere close to the attack, I can’t explain the panic I felt as I tried to contact them. No matter how small we are, the world is even smaller. It’s only a matter of time before this hits too close to home and my frantic messaging will feel useless. So take advantage of your time in this world, because in the words of Lin-Manuel Miranda, “We chase the melodies that seem to find us/ until they’re finished songs and start to play/ when senseless acts of tragedy remind us/ that nothing here is promised, not one day.”