On Sunday, we observed the 10th anniversary of the tragedies of 9/11. The history of that day is etched in our collective memories — the collapsing of the twin towers, the Pentagon and the downing of the plane in Pennsylvania. There are thousands of stories about people who have ties to that day, to those events.
I can add a couple of my own. A college friend of mine was scheduled to meet with someone to do an interview that morning. Fortunately, the interview was canceled. My wife had a friend who worked in the financial district and was forced to walk home 70 blocks.
But those stories pale in comparison to some of those tied more closely to the tragedies.
Mike Touhey was the ticket agent who handed two of the 9/11 hijackers their boarding passes that day. Over the years, he’s been wracked with guilt. According to a story on CNN’s Headline News, Touhey sought relief from four different therapists. Though few people, I think, would cast any blame in his direction, that has done little to assuage his guilt.
Over the years, Touhey has come to some sort of peace with his unwitting role in the events of that day. And it seems, in some small way, the Green Industry played a role in his recovery.
Touhey seeks solace in his garden, a small plot of flowers and grasses. “The determination of these plants to reproduce year after year — the ground freezes to 5 ft.,” Touhey says in the interview. “How does anything survive that?”
Those plants represent New York City’s will (and by extension, the rest of our country) to go on, to continue, to rebuild.
“It’s like the rebirth of the trade center,” he says.
Touhey, now retired, might never completely release himself from the guilt, but his garden — those simple flowers, plants and grasses have eased his pain. And that’s an extraordinarily powerful thing.
