At around 4 PM on September 11, 2001 I was working at my computer with the radio on listening to news updates.
My brother came into my room and asked if I wanted to see a card trick. In those days he was an amateur magician.
I said sure. He fanned out the deck. "Pick a card, any card." I picked a Four of Diamonds. Then he said, "Label it as yours…Write your name on it, or date it, something to identify it." He handed me a pen. First I wrote the name "Comcate" on the card (I had just incorporated my software company). For the date, I went to my computer, flipped open the calendar, and saw it was September 11th. For a second I thought, "This is weird, I just looked up a date that’s probably going down in history." I wrote 9/11/01 on the card under Comcate.
Then my brother shuffled the deck and, surprising me, threw it up in the air so the whole deck hit the ceiling. The cards hit the ceiling of my bedroom and then fell and hit the ground. Except one card. The one I signed. That was the trick — my card stuck to the ceiling.
Five years later, the card — signed "9/11/01" is still stuck to the ceiling of my room, right above my bed. Each morning I wake up, open my eyes, and see that card.
Ben, can you expand on why you keep that card stuck there? What are the feelings that you feel when you look at it everyday?
The reason I ask is that waking up to something like that can have different effects on people, but I suspect you have it there for a very inspiring reason.
It is more inspiring than depressing, I suppose. I just believe it’s one of those random moments that should be preserved for what it is.