There Were Many Resolutions Made After Sept. 11; Some Were Even Kept
Wall Street Journal; New York, N.Y.; Aug 8, 2002; By Sue Shellenbarger;

 

Abstract:
-- A new sense of urgency: For Lorna Paine and her husband, Sept. 11 sparked the courage to make a move -- surprisingly, to New York. Ms. Paine had yearned to get back to her childhood home on Long Island from Houston, to be near family and friends. Daunted by high living costs, the couple decided to wait, to build savings.

-- Bringing beliefs to life: Computer programmer Bob Goodsell of Ann Arbor, Mich., was long a political naysayer, voting for fringe candidates but doing little else. For him, Sept. 11 ignited a new passion to live his beliefs. He read up on world affairs and concluded the U.S. response was colored by its dependence on foreign oil. He changed his lifestyle, parking his car to ride his bike or a bus. He stopped eating meat and cut energy use and shopping trips.

-- Cutting through despair: D.J. Thomas of Gresham, Ore., a laid-off computer technician, drifted from job to job after a painful divorce. Friends had helped him name a life purpose: "to bring my heart and compassion to every person I encounter," he says. But job-market frustrations left him so discouraged that he soon told them he was giving up. Halfheartedly, he laid plans to study computer science.

 

A FEW DAYS AFTER Sept. 11, I predicted a far-reaching shift in priorities that would color workers' decision-making for months, if not years.

As family, friends and community took center stage, many Americans did make changes, at least for a while. Membership soared in the Center for a New American Dream, a Takoma Park, Md., nonprofit advocating reduced consumption and a better quality of life. Inquiries to the National Association of Emergency Medical Technicians about entering the field rose 35%.

Some people have since forgotten their resolve. But for those who stayed the course, the past 11 months have brought lessons, setbacks -- and personal growth.

One common lesson: Outward change won't solve underlying personal problems. A productivity analyst for a high-tech concern, reminded by Sept. 11 of the fragility of life, laid a deadline for herself to quit in 2003 to pursue her dream of working full-time at her sideline business as an artist.

She is hoping to stick it out. But when she took a week off to do artwork full-time, she was surprised to learn the same problems she had at her desk job followed her. "I'm just as distractible" as an artist, she says. "Wherever you go, there you are."

What sets apart life changes that endure, from those that fade away? Thoughtful changes that spring from enduring values or goals tend to last, says Harriet Braiker, a psychologist and author of "The September 11 Syndrome." Here's how three such decisions are working out:

-- A new sense of urgency: For Lorna Paine and her husband, Sept. 11 sparked the courage to make a move -- surprisingly, to New York. Ms. Paine had yearned to get back to her childhood home on Long Island from Houston, to be near family and friends. Daunted by high living costs, the couple decided to wait, to build savings.

But when Sept. 11 hit and Ms. Paine was laid off from her software sales job shortly after, "my husband and I looked at each other and said, `What are we waiting for?'" He quit his job as a hospital chef and they took the leap.

"Move to New York? You're crazy," friends told her.

"I don't want to look back at the end of my life and say, `If only I'd taken that chance,'" she told them. "This is not a dry run. This is my life." She soon found a good job on Long Island. And she and her husband, to their surprise, found a deli they could afford to buy, fulfilling another dream.

All the problems they anticipated have surfaced. Their house bears an unnerving resemblance to the one in "The Money Pit"; the washing machine backs up into the bathtub. The move reopened old wounds for Ms. Paine, from a past divorce.

But she got through it, with support from her husband and the old friends and family who welcomed her warmly. "Maybe I made some mistakes," she says. "But in the end, we're vibrant and happy and excited. The goal is to live life with no regrets."

-- Bringing beliefs to life: Computer programmer Bob Goodsell of Ann Arbor, Mich., was long a political naysayer, voting for fringe candidates but doing little else. For him, Sept. 11 ignited a new passion to live his beliefs. He read up on world affairs and concluded the U.S. response was colored by its dependence on foreign oil. He changed his lifestyle, parking his car to ride his bike or a bus. He stopped eating meat and cut energy use and shopping trips.

"I hope in a small way, I can demonstrate that a low-energy, low-stuff lifestyle can be more fun and rewarding than the typical American waste-fest," he says. And he began working actively for political candidates.

At first, he missed his buying sprees for electronic gear. But his vegetarian regimen has helped trim some unwanted pounds. His old e-gear is holding up fine. After buying only what he needs, "I find I still have most of my paycheck left."

And he talks passionately and with deep knowledge about political issues. He worked hard on the campaign of Lynn Rivers, a Democratic candidate for Congress, who just this week lost a hard-fought primary campaign for re-election. After 11 months, Mr. Goodsell is more committed to his new path than ever.

-- Cutting through despair: D.J. Thomas of Gresham, Ore., a laid-off computer technician, drifted from job to job after a painful divorce. Friends had helped him name a life purpose: "to bring my heart and compassion to every person I encounter," he says. But job-market frustrations left him so discouraged that he soon told them he was giving up. Halfheartedly, he laid plans to study computer science.

Watching televised reports on the attacks reignited his drive to help others. He enrolled in emergency medical technician courses. It was humbling, at 32, to be the oldest one in his classes. He took a rock-bottom job cleaning ambulances. Old debts slowed his progress. He moved back in with his parents temporarily, to repay loans.

Nevertheless, he finished basic EMT training and discovered he loves the work so much he wants to be a paramedic. For the first time, he has forged strong ties with an employer, Metro West Ambulance, a supportive Hillsboro, Ore., firm. Eying shortages of medical workers, he is growing optimistic about his future.

"You remember that purpose you talked about?" he says a friend recently reminded him. "You're living it."