April 15 in Boston

We have a new event to be held in commemoration of the Marathon bombings: One Boston Day. We are supposed to be kind to one another and there will be a moment of silence followed by church bells. The preparations for the Marathon next week are well underway. The finish line and stands are going up, barricades being brought in. Today banners were put up at the site of the bombings. Flowers were left, speeches given. Copley Square is once again crowded with cops, news trucks, black SUVs and trailers. It all makes me very nervous. I do not claim to have PTSD but it does trigger the alarm bells in my head. I knew there was an event on Boylston today to commemorate the bombing and I was steeling myself to come up the stairs from the subway into the middle of it. As I reached the street, the panic rose but I heard a voice singing "Hey Jude". It was a homeless man sitting outside the library, asking for donations. Tears came to my eyes but I felt comforted and the panic subsided. I gave him a dollar and said thank you, looking into his eyes (well-trained by Amanda). "You really helped me feel better today", I said. He said thank you and that it meant a lot to him to hear me say that. He gave me the strength to walk through the cops and barricades to my office.

And anytime you feel the pain, hey Jude, refrain
Don't carry the world upon your shoulders
For well you know that it's a fool who plays it cool
By making his world a little colder