Steve Brooks needed no television to recall the images of the World Trade Centre attacks 10 years ago.
"I was in the car going over the Hudson River heading to see a client," recalled the former Prince George resident. "The Hudson is only 700 or 800 metres wide, and I was basically across it, on the Jersey Turnpike, and that's right alongside the towers. I could see all the smoke a wreckage, just not the planes. The first plane had already hit.
"I remember turning the radio on in the car and hearing a lot of confusion. One reporter said it was a small plane that hit the tower and I remember thinking 'No way, that hole was not made by a small plane.' Then the second plane hit. All doubts about this being an accident were put to rest. It was definitely an attack."
He called his parents from the car - they would be watching the attacks play out knowing he was usually at his office in the World Financial Centre (WFC) connected to the towers by two pedestrian causeways across West Street.
The WFC took such a collateral hit, it took a year of renovations before it could be used again.
Brooks was unharmed, none of his family or friends were killed, but everything about life changed that day.
"Nobody in New York was more than one degree of separation from tragedy."
Each Sept. 11 is not a day of mourning for Brooks, but it does cause him reflection. He is now a vice president with the Toronto Blue Jays which plays in the area frequently, and he maintains many New York City friendships, so he ponders the attacks with regularity.
"It brings to my mind how thankful I am for family and friends, the people in your life you appreciate," he said. "
What keeps striking me was how it was a day like any other day. It was a beautiful fall morning, so sunny and bright. All those people went to work with no indication that anything would happen. People everyday are struck by tragedy, and it changes them forever, but this time it happened to the whole world at once.
"Yes, it was an attack on American soil, and most of those who died were Americans, but look at how many Canadians died as well [24], how many from all over the world [90 countries lost 327 citizens among them]," he added. "It was really an attack on freedom, an attack on democracy, and all those who hold those values."
Brooks also spends time thinking about what the aftermath of 9-11 has meant to the world: wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, U.S. foreign policy, perhaps even the current civil strife in Arab nations.
"Think of all our Canadian soldiers and relief workers over in Afghanistan doing such brave and tremendous work," he said. "Darren Fitzpatrick's family is a real Prince George connection to Sept. 11, 2001. Michelle Lang as well. It has had a huge ripple effect."
You have to use tragedy as a perspective lens to see the positive sides of life, he said. Even in this conversation, with all its weight, as soon as the word "baseball" was mentioned he launched into how his afternoon went with the team in Baltimore.
The Jays were down to the final out in the ninth inning trailing by a run, with the Orioles' best closing pitcher, Kevin Gregg, trying to shut them down, a guy who played for the Jays just last year, but some runners got on base, Gregg threw a wild pitch to bring in the tying run, then, with a pinch runner on third, pinch hitter J.P. Arencibia took a 3-1 pitch deep enough into left field for single to score the runner from third and win the game. He rattled it off like a little boy home from his first outing to the ball park.
"Life is short. You have to make the most of it," he said.
