No longer am I unaware of my surroundings. No longer do I enter a building without scoping out my escape. I haven’t stopped living my life, but I have changed the way I live it.

Here in New York, there have been blackouts, train interruptions, transit strikes and sadly, terrorist attacks. When these things happen, subway service is often affected and entire lines might be shut down for safety sake. With subway disruptions, my only recourse to get from Manhattan to my home in Brooklyn is to walk to and over the Brooklyn Bridge and then continue walking about 3 additional miles from the foot of the bridge to my home in Bensonhurst. Never again will I be caught unaware trying to walk from Manhattan to Brooklyn in heels as I did on 9/11. My feet were bleeding by the time I finally got home that fateful day. If I am outside, I now wear comfortable walking shoes or sneakers and save my heels for times when I am indoors.

The following items are always with me and I have taken sarcastic jabs from people about all the things I have with me every, single day: my new essentials. Obviously, I have identification with me.

I also carry a flashlight, a camera, a notebook and pen, small toiletry articles, an extra pair of socks, a granola or energy bar and a bottle of water 100% of the time.

I always have my cell phone with me: I’ll never be without it. There have been occasions when I returned home after leaving because I walked out of the house without my phone. Of course, there is the distinct possibility that cell phones might not work during a city-wide crisis so I have a quarter taped to the back of my cell phone allowing me to make a land line telephone call, if necessary.

I was never one of those women who carried a small purse with barely enough room for wallet and keys. My purse was always larger than that. But now, post 9/11, friends refer to my purse as my suitcase to haul around what I consider my bare necessities. A friend of mine recently asked me if I was going away for a while. My reply? “Not at all. This is just the bare necessities.” He looked at me like I had just grown another head. He said, “Really? I can pack for a week’s vacation in a bag that size.”

Am I as completely prepared as I should be? Maybe. Maybe not. After all, there is no way of knowing what will happen next, especially here in New York City. But I do know is that we can no longer live with our heads in the sand and pretend that everything is just fine. No longer can we pretend that we, as Americans, are safe from attack. I lived through September 11. I will never forget.