More than a night of murder.

George Zimmerman was declared "Not guilty" of the death of of 17-year-old Trayvon Martin  on my 71st birthday. Which means I have already lived 54 years longer than Travyon had a chance to do. So if had been murdered at 17, I would never have had a career, never travelled, never made the friends I value so much, never written as much as I have, never had the pets I have loved, never helped those I have helped, never been helped by those I so needed. I would never have seen all of my favorite tv shows, never seen productions on Broadway, never experienced the joy of every Sondheim song, never seen thousands of movies, never had the thrill of so many sexual experiences, never had a blog, a valued lover of 45 years, never spent so much time around a table at Starbucks with good friends. Never written a play, much less seen it performed in New York. I would never have had the incredible special moments that makes life so amazing and spectacular. But even more I would never had the quiet and humble and ultimately meaningless moments that make  life so worth living, like ordering a pizza which I just did. George Zimmerman denied Trayvon Martin the pleasure of being with his family on a rainy night in Sanford, Florida, of handing a package of Skittles to his young brother, of sleeping in his bed and hearing the rain against the window. And he denied him a million other pleasures like that, along with a life of experiences that would have uniquely been part of and belonged to the long and happy life of Trayvon Martin.