Image by Jacqueline Nicholls

By Amichai Lau-Lavie September 11, 2017

Who is your emergency contact? I’ll confess that as someone who’s been single for a while this question, asked by medical staff or an airline booking agent, can trigger some anxiety. On this day, unbelievably 16 years ago, the world woke up to a global crisis and terror gone wild that now dominates so much of our existence. 9/11 defined emergency for this generation. Living in downtown NYC, what I recall most from that day was how much more I felt more in touch, connected, to everyone. I had a beloved emergency contact then and he was the first one I thought of when evacuating. I remember the relief of knowing he was alive.

So today I challenge myself, you, single or not, to think of who is your soul-emergency-contact. Who do you go to when the soul cries, when fears rise, when despair takes over? It’s not always the same person as the one who would take you to the doctor; it’s not necessarily a doctor that’s needed. May memories become blessings and today’s legacy remind us to love..

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