I just listened to a story about the Sunshine Skyway Bridge across Tampa Bay. Apparently it's the #4 bridge of choice in the country for suicide attempts, #1 east of California. The story shares perspectives from the responders who try to save them, the hotline operators who try to reach them, and the guy who operates a website that tracks them. Most affecting, though, were the words from a guy who survived the fall. He talked of how deep in the water he sank, and the survival instinct that just took over- destroying his intention to die. He swam to shore with a broken neck, broken ribs. Rather than climbing onto a rock, the waves slammed him into it repeatedly. The responders looked shocked to find him alive. The violence of the boat pounding along the water was so painful that he passed out. He said the most painful thing was when his mother walked into the hospital room. With one look, he saw how much pain he'd caused her.
He said that yes, he felt as though he was given a second chance, that he knew he'd never try it again, and that he learned how to be kinder after his suicide attempt. But then he talked about perspective, and the knowledge that the bad stuff is not permanent. He said, "Things have seasons."
Time is a depressing concept, except when it isn't.
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