Dempsey gave his partners a plan for his departure, then completed a book on public speaking he had been trying to write since 1996.
"It really became a crusade of mine to get the book done," he said.
To be sure, not everyone is able to affirm life by pursuing long-cherished dreams.
Camla Singh, for instance, said she still works 60 hours a week at a coffee bar in Manhattan's Gramercy Park section.
"I'm the mother of two children, so the priority is not what I want, but what I can do for my kids," she said, adding that she tries to be nicer to people these days.
Many people feel more vulnerable since the attacks, and some say they've become wary.
"I catch myself looking at people once in a while, scrutinizing where people are from and whether they are dangerous," said Deborah Byrd, a Boeing Co machinist from Pacific, Washington.
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