It is strange how the mind works. Sometimes I can’t remember what happened last week, and there are some major events in my life that I have no real recollection of details. Then there are things that happened 20 years ago that I remember like it happened yesterday.
It was 26 years ago today. My Mom, Dad, and I had just finished decorating the tree. My Dad and I returned to the den to watch the rest of Monday Night Football, when Howard Cosell told us of “an unspeakable tragedy”. John Lennon had been shot and killed outside his apartment on the west side of New York City. I remember the feeling I got when I heard it. It was this hollow feeling mixed with sadness and disbelief. As young as I was, I knew this was a huge loss. It was tragic, as Howard Cosell said. I didn’t really understand or even know very much about the controversies that surrounded John Lennon and his politics, anti war activism, and drug use. All I knew was I was a big fan of his music.
It was the first time I had ever uttered a curse word in front of my Father. It was an uncontrollable reaction. I said “shit”. Realizing what I had said, I looked over at my dad, and all he said was “Don’t let your mother hear you talk like that.” Although my Dad only listened to Country and Western music, and probably really disliked John Lennon because he was a hippie, pot smoking, rock and roller, he let the slip slide under the radar because he knew what an impact John Lennon’s death had on me as well as many other people in the world.
That night will forever be burned into my memory.
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