Smoke and Tears: From 9/11 to Climate Grief
A Smoky Sky
The ashy orange hue tinting the skies of Seattle this summer are distressing enough on their own as they signify the literal burning of the West. The lyrics of the song I used to sing in 6th grade music class — “The bluest skies you’ve ever seen are in Seattle; and the trees the greenest green, in Seattle” — mock me as the sun burns angry and red through the choked air.
My climate grief, however, is viscerally connected to another day, twenty years ago, in a city on the other side of the country, when smoky skies changed my life.
A Long Delay (That Was More Than a Delay)
When the first plane hit the World Trade Center on September 11, 2001, I was running late to work — atypical for me. So I was irritated — not concerned — when the subway operator’s voice came over the loudspeaker to explain why our train was delayed…
Read the rest of this story on Emily’s website (linked here)!
Emily Cherkin, M.A.Ed., is a tech-intentional parent, educator, speaker, writer, and founder of The Screentime Consultant, LLC, and her work has been featured in local and national news, including in The New York Times and on The Today Show and Good Morning, America.
