Supporting those like me.
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Since the last time I tried to commit suicide 14 years ago I’ve been blessed to use that experience to help others in similar circumstances. One such experience occurred when I was a baseball coach and I learned that one of my players was thinking about suicide. If it wasn’t for my suicidal past I may not have known what to do or say. I may have brushed it off like meaningless teenage emotions or told him that he needed to toughen up. Luckily I was in those shoes before and approached him the way I would have liked, with compassion.
In looking back I can’t help but wonder what would have happened if I weren’t his coach. What would have happened to all the people I helped over the past 14 years? What’s going to happen to all those I could meet in the future? I need to live to make sure I’ve met all the people I was supposed to help and when my time is up I can take that long nap knowing I’ve done all I could for others like me.
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If you’re interested in hearing more about the story I touched on you can get more detail at the Good Men Project.
Pic Credit: Flickr/Antonio Sofi (with Enrico Bianda)
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