Me and Spock.

February 27, 2015, was a very sad day for me.  It was the day that Leonard Nimoy died.  Although I loved his character and the associated series, it was what I learned from Spock that had such an impact on me.   What he taught me irrevocably changed my life.  

To get what I mean by that, you have to understand the challenges I grew up with.  I have a mild degree of autism, not that it has ever been diagnosed.  I was born breech and whatever issues occurred during delivery had an impact on my brain.  Add to that my learning disabilities and you've got a young child that had difficulty with both socializing and learning.

My father was in the military and, as such, we were constantly on the move.  I was never at any school long enough to be well-understood by my teachers.  My mother had an addiction to alcohol and was inebriated daily.  I suffered from both physical and psychological abuse throughout my developing years.  By the time I became a teenager, I was a C- student with few friends.  I had a tremendous issue with anxiety and was severely lacking confidence.  I was in tears all the time.

My world began to change when Star Trek went into syndication.  I could watch the series every day after school and became a devoted fan of the show.  The character Spock, played by Leonard Nimoy, used fact and logic to understand his world and solve problems.  Although he had emotions, he managed them in order to become the master of his environment instead of being controlled by it.  What an incredible concept - observe, deduce, resolve, act.  

I had always loved science, especially biology, and discovered that I could use my understanding of the world around me to assist me in interacting with it.  My mother was somewhat of a hypochondriac, an adopted trait of mine that went hand in hand with my anxiety, and I learned to use observation, knowledge, and logic to overcome my worries.  In fact, it worked for everything, and by the time I  graduated high school, I was in a position to go to college and make something of myself.  It was through the love of the friends I made there that I eventually grew into the person I am today.

It was Spock though, that started me on a healing journey that enabled me to become more than I was.  For that, I will be ever thankful.  Although Leonard Nimoy has passed on, the character he portrayed still underlies my every thought.  Thank you, sir, for helping me.  Thank you for everything.

Thanks for reading.

Eric Svendsen     www.ericspix.com