Around 2015, my little brother said he was not going to watch any more men of color die at the hands of police. (He used more explicit language than that. Use your imagination.) I decided to join him in this endeavor to protect my own mental health. Because of this have, I have never watched the video of Derek Chauvin kneeling on George Floyd’s neck. I didn’t watch or listen to the audio of the death of either Daunte Wright or Adam Toledo.

I am not ignorant. I know what happened in these cases. I listen to news reports, and I read through the headlines daily. I don’t need to be a witness to another person’s trauma in order to be empathetic. I don’t need to hear George Floyd cry out for his mother. I didn’t need to see Adam with his hands up. I have seen and heard it before. I do not wish to relive it.

As such, I didn’t watch the trial of Derek Chauvin. I wasn’t staring at the screen, waiting for the jury’s verdict. I didn’t cry or celebrate when the man was found guilty. I just took a breath, and went on about my life. That’s all George Floyd wanted to do. That’s all any of us want to do: to live our lives.

As you go about your life today, I hope you savor every breath. I pray that you are free from your bonds. I hope you enjoy just being. Life is a gift. I want you to enjoy it.