The Bridge
FIVE YEARS LATER....
It's Sunday evening and you're in the local bookstore. It's almost closing time, you realize as you glance at your wristwatch. You'll need to make your purchases quick. Swifly walking past the many genre-specific sections, you make a quick stop at the "Self Help" aisle, hoping that a new Chicken Soup for the Soul book will be in stock (Your mom is a real sucker for those books, and it would be nice to surprise her with a brand new volume to add to her expansive collection.) Unfortunately, it appears this bookstore is all out of the new Chicken Soup volume, and you shrug your shoulders before laying your eyes on a hardcover book of medium size. The color is what draws you to it initially; bright pink with yellow lettering: "How I survived: A story of Overcoming Depression and Reclaiming your Life." You examine the cover and notice the authors photograph seems strangely familiar. You finger the books' binding while trying to place the photograph in your mind. It comes to you after a few seconds of searching:
It's the woman from the bridge!!! You can barely hide your surprise when it hits you with full force; the author is undeniably that same woman you talked off the bridge years ago. You read the back of the book, running your eyes from left to right over the synopsis:
"Five years ago I had had enough. Unemployed, no one close to turn to for help, and hopelessly depressed. Somewhere in between aimlessly searching for work and returning to an unkempt apartment, I found myself standing on the edge of a bridge in downtown Newport, ready to end it all. This is my story of how I was saved that day, and a detailed account of the subsequent events leading to the current fulfillment of life I have come to enjoy and expect on a day to day basis. Please read my story, be inspired by it, and let it serve as a catalyst for bettering your situation today"
You leave the bookstore with this book under your arm, and a grin on your face. Who would have known that a simple act of caring and a quick decision to get help for someone would have resulted in something so grand? It just goes to show, every act we partake in on this earth truly does have an effect on the big picture as a whole. By saving this woman, you also potentially saved the lives of other down-and-out people as well. Congratulations are in order, so pat yourself on the back.
It's Sunday evening and you're in the local bookstore. It's almost closing time, you realize as you glance at your wristwatch. You'll need to make your purchases quick. Swifly walking past the many genre-specific sections, you make a quick stop at the "Self Help" aisle, hoping that a new Chicken Soup for the Soul book will be in stock (Your mom is a real sucker for those books, and it would be nice to surprise her with a brand new volume to add to her expansive collection.) Unfortunately, it appears this bookstore is all out of the new Chicken Soup volume, and you shrug your shoulders before laying your eyes on a hardcover book of medium size. The color is what draws you to it initially; bright pink with yellow lettering: "How I survived: A story of Overcoming Depression and Reclaiming your Life." You examine the cover and notice the authors photograph seems strangely familiar. You finger the books' binding while trying to place the photograph in your mind. It comes to you after a few seconds of searching:
It's the woman from the bridge!!! You can barely hide your surprise when it hits you with full force; the author is undeniably that same woman you talked off the bridge years ago. You read the back of the book, running your eyes from left to right over the synopsis:
"Five years ago I had had enough. Unemployed, no one close to turn to for help, and hopelessly depressed. Somewhere in between aimlessly searching for work and returning to an unkempt apartment, I found myself standing on the edge of a bridge in downtown Newport, ready to end it all. This is my story of how I was saved that day, and a detailed account of the subsequent events leading to the current fulfillment of life I have come to enjoy and expect on a day to day basis. Please read my story, be inspired by it, and let it serve as a catalyst for bettering your situation today"
You leave the bookstore with this book under your arm, and a grin on your face. Who would have known that a simple act of caring and a quick decision to get help for someone would have resulted in something so grand? It just goes to show, every act we partake in on this earth truly does have an effect on the big picture as a whole. By saving this woman, you also potentially saved the lives of other down-and-out people as well. Congratulations are in order, so pat yourself on the back.
