When I was in HS , two of my classmates took their own lives. One was very popular, cute, so fun- even on the Prom court. The other was a bigger girl without a lot of friends, who was teased because of her weight and appearance. I have thought about the fact that in the 80s and 90s, the internet was not what it is today. You couldnt go online and see/hear about/meet other people who might be dealing with the same issues that you are - we didnt have positive examples or the education to realize like we do today to know that depression and food addictions/issues are DISEASES. A few weeks ago someone online posted that the morning before, she came into work and offered what she felt after the fact was a generic good morning to one of her coworkers, as she had many mornings before. Later that night he went home and took his life. She found herself questioning - what if? What if she had offered him a genuine smile, engaging conversation...would it have made a difference? Maybe not. But maybe. Yes - it is true that we cannot control how other people behave or their actions. But we ABSOLUTELY control our actions, and how we treat others. I want to go to sleep every night knowing that no matter how small or insignificant it might seem, my smile, kind word, joke or hug positively affected those I encountered. Black, white, fat, skinny, rich, poor and everything in between - addiction and disease can come for any of us without warning, no matter how good things may look on the outside. It was made shockingly clear yesterday that even the people who seem the happiest, and bring joy to so many others, might be suffering a dark battle that we know nothing about. While we may not be able to save the world, making time, reaching out, and truly giving genuine attention to someone - even a stranger- could save their life. ♡
Posted on: Tue, 12 Aug 2014 18:00:50 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015