SURFING SOAPBOX:A New York minute for Lagunan

Standing before what was once the World Trade Center sits a huge void — and not only in the block of skyscrapers.

A void has been left in the lives of all those people who lost loved ones on that vicious day known as 9/11.

People from all walks of life were gathered, talking about that day, and up above us were the names and pictures of all those lost. I remembered watching the scene play out on TV that fateful day.

Standing there, replaying those scenes in my mind, I couldn’t help but say a prayer of my own. There have only been a few times in my life that I have felt so far away from my home, Laguna Beach

New York gave me a whole new perspective on not only Laguna, but also just how lucky we are to live in such a wonderful town — or city, depending on your perception of what a city is.

I can tell you that New York encompasses every aspect of a “city.”

The lights and sirens, thousands of people milling around the streets, traffic, stores and those buildings that pop right through the sky.

I’m grateful to live in a town where I know the bank teller or the mailman, and that, on a daily basis, I run into old friends who remind me that grapes grow on vines and not trees.

Our town continues to grow every year and the less-than-real reality show “Laguna Beach” continues to be shown on MTV, catering to a younger generation for whom Laguna Beach is the happening place for youngsters — the place to vacation and party.

This younger generation tends to spend less in our homegrown stores and take advantage of all our public facilities — not to mention that litter on our beaches has intensified.

Perhaps, as a town, we might want to reconsider exactly who it is that we want to be catering to. In my mind, our residents and their needs should always come first.

Peace.