I don't usually post things on tumblr... but I guess today really is just one of those days.
Today was supposed to be a lot of things. Marathon Monday. Patriot's Day. Potential "YOLO" Day. I originally made plans to go see the marathon in the morning and cheer the first group on and then hit a bunch of pubs and just enjoy a typical marathon monday.
But I woke up late, because I went to bed late. I started off the day regretting my decision to sleep in a bit but still I slowly got myself out of bed, showered and quickly head out to see the craziness of the marathon with intentions to study at a cafe instead.
Kyungshick and I got to Copley and walked around, squeezing through crowds of people and even seeing the occasional runner walking with loved ones or just looking to reunite. We planned to watch the marathon and cheer people on for a bit and then eventually head to a local coffee shop and just grab some coffee/do our work... but we just couldn't get through to the other side of the street due to road blockages and the marathon route... so we ended up walking all the way down to Arlington St. and we just walked to Thinking Cup while minding our own business and enjoying the quiet day. I still remember admiring the runners for having accomplished such a great feat... pushing the limits of their bodies and completing the unthinkable... I found myself thinking of people as beautiful things... full of surprises and energy. But the biggest surprise was just around the corner...
While at Thinking Cup and complaining about the lack of wifi... I get a call from Wes (assuming he wanted to meet me)... the conversation went something like this:
Wes: Danny! Where are you? (yelling and screaming in the background... which later I realized was not of joy but of distress and fear)
Me: Thinking Cup... doing some work, whatsup?
Wes: OKAY.... good..... did you see the news?? Get out now. Bombs went off at the Finish Line... get back to campus!
Confusion followed and I simply got up and walked away. Kyungshick and I didn't really know what to think... or even if we were supposed to believe it. We walked through Boston Commons searching for a cab... but while walking, I couldn't help but become more and more paranoid. It was like those scenes in movies... everyone was oblivious... no one knew yet that the bomb had gone off... so kids are playing, parents laughing, people enjoying their quiet days. But my mind couldn't help but think: "any one of these people could be wired with a bomb right now.... anything in this area could potentially blow up"... As I kept walking, I got more and more paranoid, giving people strange looks, becoming overly aware of potentially threatening gestures or even looks.
We finally hailed a cab and even still, I thought: "what if the cab driver is a terrorist... what if I just happened to get into the wrong cab"
Honestly speaking, I didn't feel fear. It was pure adrenaline. I was in survival mode and I was readying myself for the worst. Thankfully, we got home fine and then that's when it all started sinking in. Throughout the day, I slowly started to digest what happened and even though I wasn't there, even seeing what had happened on TV just made me feel sick to my stomach.
I'm still a little shaken but so thankful. Even if I were 10 minutes behind schedule... I could have been a victim. A mere 10 minutes... 600 seconds was what kept me from real danger and threat. God gently pushed me away from Copley... I literally tiptoed past death with nothing but a whisper and by the grace of God I was kept just far enough. I don't know what it was in me but I just didn't want to stay at Copley to watch people cross... And it was that very gut instinct that kept me from being inches away from an explosion that has become one of the greatest tragedies in recent Boston history.
I am so thankful for Wes who even thought to give me a call and for all of you who have texted me from all over to make sure I was OK. But most of all, I am so thankful that God has kept a shield over my friends and kept them safe even if by just a few feet. It was great news to know everyone was alive and well.
Let us continue to keep Boston in our prayers, especially those who do not have the privilege to say that their loved ones are alive and/or well.
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