Honestly, it's something someone did for me. I've told this story before but I love to share it, because I hope someone else may do it in the future.
I struggle with depression. I've had chronic depression since at least my 8th grade year. I'm almost 22 now. When I was about 17 I was sitting in an ice cream/coffee shop alone. It's the middle of winter at the time, and I was taking my hour break away from work. The shop was located next to a really beautiful river with a lot of water falls, and I was staring out the window at it. I wasn't drinking my coffee because all I was thinking about was how long would I live if I just jumped in. Even if the water didn't kill me how long would it take for hypothermia to kick in? It was a beautiful place to die honestly.
I was suddenly interrupted by a man who joined me at my table. I didn't know him at all. I still remember what he looked like. He was a black gentleman, older than I was. Maybe 25-30. He had on a t-shirt and a cloth jacket, and a beanie on his head. He had a beard and he was rather thin. Not unfriendly at all, and he seemed a little nervous.
He just started talking. "Its a beautiful day isnt it?" Asked me about my job (I still had my uniform on), and we talked about the area we were in, the weather, and a lot of things that didn't really matter. Eventually he gets up to leave and kind of looks at me funny. Then he said something along the line of "I hope you have a beautiful day. You deserve it."
I remember him leaving after that. I really wish I could have asked him why he decided to talk to me. Did I just look so miserable and lonely? Was he just a talkative guy? Did he see something in me that screamed I needed help or was it just random chance?
I'll never know. I wish I did. Him talking to me that day made me feel not alone. It helped me snap out of the thoughts I was having that day, and honestly, it was a beautiful day after that.
I wish I could find and thank that man still. I'm married and happy. I'm fixing my health, physically and mentally, and without thinking, I can say 5, 10, 20 years from now. I still think about him. I'll never know his name or why he spoke to me, but thank you for taking time out of your day to.