Day 2162 Reflect

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Not my usual silly photo, but the 40th anniversary of the Challenger explosion is certainly worth stepping out of the ordinary and taking a moment to reflect.

I remember it as if it were last week. I was pregnant, enjoying lunch with friends, talking nonstop as the shuttle’s takeoff played in the background on a large screen at the restaurant. We had all been watching for months as the astronauts prepared, getting to know each of them along the way. This was also the first time in history that NASA set out to send an “ordinary” person into space, selecting a schoolteacher from Concord, New Hampshire. That decision had every school in the country paying attention. TVs were rolled into classrooms that day, ensuring every child had the chance to watch the historic takeoff.

The astronauts’ parents were seated in the stands at the launch site, proud of their children, while husbands and wives watched with excitement as their spouses fulfilled lifelong dreams. We all stopped what we were doing during the countdown 10...9...8..7..6.. 5… 4… 3… 2… 1… and watched as the shuttle lifted off in a blaze, climbing into the sky. Then, to everyone’s horror, just 72 seconds after takeoff, it suddenly exploded. The blast was so massive that the devastation and total loss of life was immediately clear.

Life in 1986 had many of us feeling fairly invincible. Thriving economy, life was good , and aside from the fear of the Cold War, we were mostly at peace. That explosion shook our country to the core, reminding us that we were not, in fact, invincible. How can all of this have been forty years ago? I suppose that means my son is almost 40 now! Oh, how suddenly life can change.

As I went through my day, taking Tim to the hospital for a quick medical procedure, heading to work, running errands, and handling the usual (and unusual) whatnots, I couldn’t get the astronauts’ faces out of my mind. Feeling old with a forty-year-old memory, feeling blessed for the life I have, and never forgetting how quickly everything can change.

On a totally different note… I brought Tim home from his procedure with strict orders from the doctor to take it easy....music to his ears. He was so still and quiet that even the basement cat thought she was home alone and ventured into the family room, only to freeze when she spotted Tim in the chair and retreat back into her hiding spot. But at least we know she’s starting to explore when she thinks no one is around!

Forty years later, the Challenger reminds us of both the bravery it takes to dream big and the fragility of the lives we live every day. May we always remember, reflect, and hold our loved ones close. 

“We will never forget them, nor the last time we saw them, this morning, as they prepared for their journey and waved goodbye.” ~ Ronald Reagan