All day, it has felt as though something was missing. Though nothing had physically been removed from my life, there was a shadow on the day; an emptiness I couldn't touch. Perhaps I should digress.
I began watching Star Trek at an exceptionally early age with my mother. Her more than passive interest in science fiction is, most likely, why I became the science wonk I am today. Not just shows like Star Trek and Battlestar: Galactica, but also Cosmos, In Search Of, and Nova filled my early years with a wonder that sparked an interest in the Universe and our place in it. I watched Trek every Sunday and read every one of the novels I could find, knowing Spock was going to figure out how to solve the particular riddle in question for that story. Who was this Kirk, guy, again?
I learned a great deal from Spock, so comfortable with himself as a person, yet still struggled with not quite fitting into either world of his heritage, As a very awkward child, myself, I adapted to fit into places I wasn't quite comfortable with, while learning to understand those around who didn't quite understand me. In a way, this hashed and rehashed character from a styrofoam-decorated 1960s TV show became a teacher and a mentor. As TV shows went, it was one of the few that had a grounded, noble meaning. Its meaning was, basically, we can all live together. As I watched that show, I wondered when that world would finally arrive. I still do.
People touch our lives in different ways, whether we meet in brief passing or spend a lifetime together. In essence, Leonard Nimoy was the good friend I had never met. We all have those, in some form or another. He was an actor, writer, director, humanitarian, the list goes on. He touched the lives of many and left his mark on this pale, blue dot of a planet. The needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few or the one, yes, but today the loss of one has diminished us all.
Peace and long life.
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