I wasn't sure if I should post anything about the London bombings or not. I debated all day yesterday. I checked news sites, other blogs, and I was a little surprised to see so few talking about it. I talked to DH last night. Do I feel a connection because we were just in London in April, riding the tube all day long, including past the Edgeware station? I sat last night wondering what if it had happened while we were on that train? Would we know what to do? I know Ken said he would have been one of the people not getting off the train, knowing they run on high voltage electricity. I know how turned around we got when, on our first tube ride, the line we needed to use to get to our hotel was closed temporarily, and it took us a while to figure out an alternate route. I checked on Fodors talk to see what people in London were saying-- people who had just arrived that morning, took hours to get to their hotel, and then had little to do with transportation and most businesses shut down.
I applaud and hug all Londoners. I can't imagine how it feels to not know where a loved one is. As of this morning, they still know there are bodies in the tube tunnels. It's funny, the US news sites offer a very sterile account of what happened. If you check the British news sites, you get a much more vivid picture of what really happened. (London Mirror is one, it's a little graphic, just a warning.) It's tough to read sometimes, but it also makes it hit home. It's one thing to hear there was a bombing, it's quite another to read what someone who just got off that bus saw. And though tough and disturbing, in my opinion, necessary. Sometimes news needs to impact us. It's my personal "Saving Private Ryan" theory-- yep, it's a tough movie to watch. We flinch, it's uncomfortable, and it hits you on a gut level. But I believe every person needs to watch it, to understand why we never ever want this to happen again.
I saw on TV today that former mayor Guiliani was in London yesterday one block away from the bombing ("what are the odds?") -- he said one thing that I feel compelled to repeat. If you have a trip planned or were planning a trip to London-- GO. Don't let this stop you. I know people need to have their own comfort level, but there is something to be said for getting back out there and showing that we will not be bullied into fear. I went to europe for the first time 5 weeks after 9/11, and it was a long, tough decision, but it is still one of the best decisions I ever made. They stood by us, let's show them we remember.
Hugs to London.
Sorry for the rambling, but thanks for reading.
We now return you to your regularly schedule programming.
