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Success...It's All in the Letter P By now we are familiar with Nigel Lythgoe, the British television director and producer, who created such smash hits as Ameri... |
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Giving Hope a Chance to Float Up
Original Publication Date:
October 2007
It has become her uniform. It's her favorite and all she ever wears. The raggedy t-shirt is what she grabs from the shower pole as she embarks on her daily morning 10-mile run. She pairs it with a number of different shorts —mostly short, mostly faded, mostly baggy.
The shirt is always the same. Anyone passing her on a regular basis would assume she had no other. When she isn't listening to people's problems she runs like a woman possessed. It's what gets her adrenaline flowing and makes her feel alive.
Her work alone used to provide her with such a rush. She now has brief glimpses of more productive times and sits alone with clients waiting impatiently for hope to float back up. Although she is a psychologist by profession, and has taken an oath to help troubled souls with their deepest secrets, she dons a shirt that says: Life is hard. Then you die.
This slogan is written in smallish font, barely big enough to read, and appears on the front of her shirt right above the left breast. The ink has held up better than the body of the garment that has long ceased to be crisp or white. On the face of it one might chuckle at the cynicism of it all. Certainly not a mantra for help or hope, it has come to reflect her changing attitude toward life. Once an idealist with a pure zest for helping, she claims she has hardened and adopted a more realistic approach where she doesn't look to mystery or miracle for solutions. Yet, a little part of her wishes the hope has not vanished entirely but may eventually return. She's willing to still give it the chance.
A few months back, John Winter, a meteorologist in the Tampa Bay area committed suicide. He was only 39-years old and was adored by the community, his television colleagues, and by his friends and family. Shocked and stunned, it appeared that nobody saw it coming. They claimed there were no signs of the despair he must have been experiencing in order to resort to such an act. It was reported he had been taking medication for anxiety—Zanax— and apparently had been suffering from severe depression.
On the air, John was the most genuine, affable guy, and he gave of himself to many causes, especially those involving kids and pets. Something happened to John that enabled him to carry out this permanent deed. Somehow John lost all hope.
The same holds true for WWE star Chris Benoit. By now you have all heard about the horrific tragedy surrounding the death of Chris, his wife Nancy, and small son Daniel. I had the pleasure of meeting Chris a few years ago. He was well-liked throughout the industry and had the reputation among his peers of being a man's man and a stand-up guy.
These two heartbreaking cases are quite different but they do share a number of strikingly sad similarities. John and Chris appeared to have it all. They were both at the top of their game, both highly respected, and extremely successful on many levels. Like John Winter, nobody saw it coming with Chris and never could have predicted that he was capable of taking his own life, much less the lives of his family.
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