John Lennon, My Life And Time Gone By

Thirty years ago tonight, John Lennon was murdered outside his home and I was there.

I worked for Leo Antiques on 2190 Broadway which was about eight blocks from the Dakota where the Lennons lived. Leo is no longer with us and the store has since closed, but every December the second floor of Leo's turned into the largest Christmas store in New York City.

That day thirty years ago, my boss, Leo, had flyers made out and my job was to go through the neighborhood putting them in doors to try to attract business. My last stop of the day was the Dakota. I knew that John Lennon lived there as well as Gilda Radner and Leonard Bernstein, so I took my time while in the building to try to catch a glimse of a celebrity.

At the end of the day instead of going to my normal hang-out - the Dublin House on 79th street, I decided to go one block from the Dakota to a bar on 72nd street for a few drinks. As I was leaving, several police cars and an ambulance raced past me and stopped at the Dakota. I thought about turning around, but since sirens were pretty common in New York I decided to head home.

When I got home I heard on the radio that John Lennon had been shot outside the Dakota and I soon realized that those police cars and the ambulance were for him.

Everyone knows the importance of John Lennon's music and I can't contribute anything better than what's already been written about him and his death. All I know is that every year at this time I find myself thrown back into my youth and am reminded of a person who's time on this Earth was cut way too short and then find myself questioning my own life and where it has gone.