Reaching Back to 9/11 to Handle a Pandemic

For about 20 years I’ve been an independent contractor. Because of the tragedy of 9/11 and its ripple effects, I came to know the term “income streams.”

And, my word, does it make me happy.

As we approach the 20-year mark for the despicable terrorist attacks that day, I have been reflecting a lot on how they changed my life and how important it is that I apply what I learned then to our current global health crisis, the pandemic.

Both are shattering events that call for emotional strength and soul searching. They beg us to reflect on our current lives, appreciate what we have, not take things for granted, but also make us more directed in our future endeavors.

On September 11, 2001, I was a New Jersey resident working as a television producer at Oxygen Media in New York City. Six months later I joined more than 20 colleagues in a mass layoff. Not only did I lose my job, but the Catholic Church was reeling because the Boston Globe had just exposed massive coverups of pedophilia among clergy, so I was church “shopping” as well.

After the initial shock of what felt like a crumbling world, some things started to sink in. It was the first time I had an opportunity to really connect with my community. It was a fresh start, a chance for renewal. I had spent most of the 1990s…