tragedy

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New York is a bit out of sorts today - a strange but tragic accident happened yesterday involving an elevator. You can read about it here, and I truly can't imagine having to go through such a horrendous situation. But there is a certain discomfort in the air today...because New York is tall. The island of Manhattan is narrow and we just don't have much room - for much of anything but especially not for building out. Thus the city has been built up. Elevators are a fact of life here. Stairs-only buildings offer cheaper rents than those boasting elevators. (They also tend to never be taller than 6 stories.) Considering that my office building does not even allow access to our stairwells - safety concerns brought on by 9/11 - you can imagine how impossible it would be to get much of anything done in this city without elevators. I heard the rustle of nerves and worry on radio talk shows as I got dressed this morning, and saw the headlines in all the daily papers littering the subway station and stacked neatly into racks along the avenues. And, I noticed people jumping into the elevator a bit more quickly this morning, stepping quite over the juncture between car and floor. I feel horribly for the people who witnessed yesterday's incident, and I feel terribly for the poor victim of that faulty elevator. I guess this post is mostly just to agree with the general dumbfounded-ness of the city's residents, but also to remind myself to try to make the most of each day because we certainly don't have any guarantee of a tomorrow.