Two days after Thanksgiving our neighbor knocked on our door to deliver some somber news:
The man who lived two houses down had taken his own life.
Radley had told us he woke up in the middle of the night and saw flashing lights outside his window, but since they were gone in the morning, we didn’t give it a second thought.
We didn’t give it a second thought because we were busy cleaning up Thanksgiving since we hosted for 15 people, and the house was a wreck.
We didn’t give it a second thought because a few months ago the house across the street had an electrical fire and seeing fire trucks, police cars, insurance workers, and contractors had become common.
I used to see our neighbor almost every morning running, but I hadn’t recently, and I didn’t give it a second thought.
I spoke to him briefly over the summer, and he seemed out of it, but I was trying to get Scout to nap so I didn’t give it a second thought.
This time of year it’s easy to get stressed out or caught up in the holiday madness. But stop and give someone a second thought. And if you’re having a rough time, stop and give it a second thought.
December 3rd, 2014 at 6:19 am
Love your use of repetition to give suicide a “second thought”. A very important message that needs to be spread.Thank-you.
December 3rd, 2014 at 7:01 am
This is so true. You never know what a person is going through or what small act of kindness might help them get through one more day.
December 3rd, 2014 at 7:05 am
Oh my – that is so sad. I guess such incidents put our own lives in perspective.
December 3rd, 2014 at 7:34 am
Thank you for this post.
December 3rd, 2014 at 8:02 am
Good for you for posting this. I’ve lost several to suicide. It’s always such a shame when people feel there is no other solution. May that poor soul rest in peace. May his family find comfort. And may others read this post and give it a second thought.
December 3rd, 2014 at 8:50 am
You are one of the kindest, most thoughtful people I have ever had the honor to know. I’m sure any moment of your time brightened his day and was a blessing to him. I’m sorry for the sadness this brings to everyone involved. Thank you for being you.
December 3rd, 2014 at 8:56 am
Thank you for this post and it is so true. One random act of kindness could save someones life, not only during the holidays, but all year round. There is too much violence in the world already, and just lending a hand when someone needs it, could make all the difference. My thoughts and prayers go out to the family.
December 3rd, 2014 at 10:03 am
So sorry to hear. Unfortunately, this time of year is incredibly difficult for many who might already be suffering from depression. It’s true, we need to look out for each other.
December 3rd, 2014 at 12:19 pm
Great post – “giving it a second thought” is so uncommon nowadays. =[
December 3rd, 2014 at 2:29 pm
Well…I can understand why people get depressed and suicidal at this time of year. I am sorry that your neighbor felt it so much.
December 3rd, 2014 at 4:22 pm
Reblogged this on lassjodoh's Blog and commented:
#weAreHere #AliciaKeys
December 3rd, 2014 at 4:26 pm
I’m sorry about your neighbor. Suicide is the worst….
December 3rd, 2014 at 10:29 pm
Such a powerful post and reminder to take that extra minute to share a smile and a kind word with the people who cross our path.
December 4th, 2014 at 12:59 pm
Thanks for this post. That’s so sad about your neigbor. Very well said, and so true.
December 5th, 2014 at 10:03 am
How very, very sad. Thanks for the reminder to be aware of those around us.
December 6th, 2014 at 7:49 pm
Too often we are too busy with our own lives to take notice of others who might need us. This is a reminder for us to be mindful of others.
December 9th, 2014 at 8:09 pm
Excellent message. I used to worry about being intrusive, but now I ask people if they’re OK when it’s not clear.
April 19th, 2015 at 7:04 pm
This is wonderful message to everyone and it feels a lot like me and yes as when it comes to others, we need to take a moment to say “HI”.