I have lived in Boston for 4 years (minus my summers). For much of it, I didn't treat Boston like home. It was a place where I went to school, studied, researched, and just more recently moved permanently with my husband less than two months ago.
But today changed all that. In the hours that have passed since the explosions (a 15 minute walk from my home), my fellow Bostonians have responded with offers of housing, donations of blood, large supplies of food, and dedicated medical care. I am so deeply humbled by the connectedness of Boston right now–from opening homes to guests using Google Docs to people searches on People Finder to many donating blood (after running a marathon) or offering whatever they can to victims and families. This is #courage. The whole country has responded with prayers, volunteers, and contributions.
I am also watching how we are using our Connectional Intelligence powerfully in this disaster. Cell phones in Back Bay were shut off, trains stopped and airports closed. So instead, the threads on Facebook and Twitter guided us. Google Docs gave many visiting marathon runners a home. Google People Finder allowed us to find one another. YouTube gave us a glimpse of what was really happening on Boylston St. The world has changed and we have the capacity to move faster to help one another through it all.
I feel terribly sad for our loss but also immensely proud of our human spirit and the connectedness that we have to come together in times like this and beyond. No matter how oppressive the darkness, the light in people always shines through. For more light, here are a few of the many stories of kindness in Boston. I love this city.
Extremely moving to hear how quickly a community came together to help each other out! I love the call outs for how social media worked in a positive way to impact this sad situation.