This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2011, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
On Sept. 11, 2011, much of America stopped to remember those killed in the terrorist attacks 10 years earlier.
In the media, it seemed, there was a glut of stopping to remember. You couldn't turn on the television without catching nonstop coverage of the memorial services on CNN, or regular reminders during NFL games or U.S. Open tennis coverage.
It's fitting to look back and honor the dead. But, at the same time, by Sunday evening, it was easy to feel one were put through the wringer.
For many on Sunday, though, it was important to go on with life as normal.
That was the atmosphere in downtown Salt Lake City's Washington Square, behind the City County Building, as the monthly Urban Flea Market was taking place. Dozens of vendors and just plain folks set up canopies. Some were selling newly made crafts, others brought out their yard-sale stuff for all the world to see.
The signs that this was a special day were quiet. One vendor put out free 9/11-related stickers, while at another booth a woman wore a blouse with a stars-and-stripes design. If you dug a bit, you might find a New York baseball cap or a figurine of a brave firefighter.
But nothing was forced. There was no artificial patriotism, no wearing grief as if it was the latest fashion.
This notion — reminiscent of Samuel Beckett's famous line in "Waiting for Godot," "I can't go on. I'll go on." — might be the lasting legacy of the September 11 attacks. Americans are resilient, and will respond to tragedy by maintaining our lives as best we can.