The Angel in My Sky
As we were leaving the memorial service, all my mom kept saying was, “He was truly an angel, he was truly an angel.” I didn’t exactly know what she was talking about because I always thought that angels were those heavenly figures with white wings and white clothes and the white glowing circle above their heads. I always thought angels were the spiritual creatures that floated effortlessly above the world watching every action of every creature that inhabited the globe. I always thought angels weren’t human. However, after much discussion with my mom and other family friends it became evident to me that I had actually known an angel, and he was human, and he was my friend.
On September 11, 2001 at 8:46 AM a plane had crashed into the north tower of the World Trade Center. By 9:03 AM a second plane had crashed into the south tower of the World Trade Center. By September 12, 2001 3,212 people had been pronounced dead. After waiting weeks and months it was obvious that my friend Scott who worked on the 103rd floor was gone and there was no way he was ever coming back. However, since there was never any information found about his body my family, Scott’s friends, and Scott’s family, can only believe myths of his existence.
After attending Scott’s memorial service I did, however, realize the myth that I would always believe. Scott’s memorial service was one of the most touching events I’ve ever been to. No longer then three minutes into the service was my face engulfed in salty morose tears. After hearing some of the people speak about Scott I realized many things. First and foremost, I realized that Scott was truly a remarkable person, and secondly, I realized that I had been looking at life all wrong. Scott’s roommate told a story about how when he was first living with Scott, he would wake up and hear Spanish blasting in Scott’s room.
Finally he went up to Scott and asked, “What the hell is that Spanish stuff you listen to in the morning.”
Scott explained how he set his alarm clock to go off to a Spanish speaking station because he couldn’t bear hearing the news in the morning. Scott didn’t want to listen to the news because usually news is bad; therefore by listening to Spanish music he wouldn’t be able to tell if they were talking about something bad. Another comment Scott’s roommate talked about was a bunch of laws that Scott lived his life by. One of the rules was always root for the underdog no matter what. Scott would always walk to the corner shop, which had horrible coffee and was a mile away, instead of going to the Starbucks that had great coffee and was only a block away. Scott was different then everyone else. Scott cared, he cared about life, he cared about others, and he cared about everything. No matter if he had just met you or he had known you his entire life he always said goodbye by giving you a big hug. Scott was one of those people that made the world go round. I like to describe Scott by saying, “Everyone is a zebra with different stripes but Scott is a zebra with spots.” In other words, although everyone is different in his or her own unique way, Scott is so unconventional, unusual, and unlike anyone else that that he is in a completely different league of diversity compared to the rest of the world.
Scott has altered my perception of life and the way I approach the world in many ways. He has enabled me to have more patience and just go with the flow. One time while I was futzing around in my room, I knocked over my guitar. The great electrical instrument with all of its strings and knobs and intricate designs came crashing down to the floor. As I stood over the thousands of broken pieces of guitar my mouth had dropped to the floor and I was in complete awe. However, after experiencing a brain rush of thoughts and ideas about what to do, my good old buddy Scott came to my mind. As I repeated the mantra “go with the flow” to myself, I quickly calmed down and had come to the conclusion that everything was going to be Ok.
After this mind boggling process I was able to say, “Oh well, not the end of the world, I’ll just get a new one.”
Another time that Scott’s exquisite and utterly ingenious lifestyle helped play an influence on my life was when I missed my plane. I was alone in Chicago’s O’Hare airport coming home from a hiking adventure program that I had embarked on during the summer. As I pulled up to my gate, I realized that not many people were there. This was a very curious fact considering I thought my plane was supposed to board in five minutes. Finally, as I approached the front desk asking information about the flight, I was informed that my flight had already departed. Panic started to set in as my head started spinning in circles. I couldn’t breathe, I couldn’t think, I was going to have a nervous breakdown. I didn’t know what to do until, BAM, it hit me. “Just go with the flow” Finally, after cooling down I walked back up to the front desk, told them what had happened, and received aid immediately. Next thing I knew I was sleeping like a baby in my first class lounge chair. Everything had worked out. It had actually even worked out better than normal. Due to these near “freak-out” experiences, my quick thinking, and Scott’s effective “lackadaisical” lifestyle I have been able to conquer many obstacles. Although I have learned from Scott many life lessons as not freaking out over things that aren’t too serious or aren’t harming anyone else, I still hold my principles of being concerned and high strung, because that is who I am and that is who I will always be. Nevertheless, I will always know that there is someone up there watching me, and helping me out when I am in dire need. He is the angel in my sky.