Post Secret Fridays - Issue 054 - My Special Issue

I have been posting postcard secrets in my blog for well over a year now, and none has hit me as hard as the one I'm posting today.  It's hard to look at these cards every Friday knowing that somewhere out there, someone sent this card in to PostSecret.com, and the compelling images and riveting words truly touch my soul.  

It isn't so much that most of the cards are about unhappiness or depression, but it touches the human spirit in a way that makes one believe they can help.  As a gay man, I remember being suicidal in my younger years, from the molestations to the fear of rejection from family and friends for being born this way.  

I will always look back and reflect on all the lessons I have learned growing up, and the ones I continue to learn today in hope that my puzzle of life will be complete some day.  

I am truly blessed to have the man of my dreams (Ryan), our dogs, our home, a wonderful job, and our wonderful family & friends. There's truly nothing more that I could ask for.

 

PostSecret is an ongoing community art project where people mail in their secrets anonymously on one side of a postcard.

 

-----Email-----

Hi Frank,

When I saw the secret about the person wanting to cross the street, my heart sunk as I remember how I felt when I looked across the street at all the cars and realized being hit was better than making it across.

Thankfully, the realization scared me enough that I got help — and I too am glad I didn't. I've now been treated for depression for almost a year. Words can't describe how I felt at the time, but this postcard somehow captured it and even makes me feel a little better that I wasn't alone in these thoughts.

And if you are curious, I was right here:

-----Email-----

I'm the person who sent in the secret about crossing the street, and I just wanted to say hi to the other person who sent in the email and had the same secret. Hello other person - I'm so glad you didn't do it either.

This is exactly why I decided to send in my secret. I think there are probably an awful lot of us out there that have been in that situation -I know the statistics say that something like a person out of every four will suffer from depression in some form at some point in their lives. No one really likes to talk about it but I think maybe we need to.

The isolation was the worst part of it. As soon as someone knew what was going on in my life they started helping me and things began to get easier, so I just wanted everyone else to know that there is still hope. Call someone. It doesn't have to be a family member or a doctor - there are helplines or you can just tell a friend. Things can get better. Yes it takes time. And No you are Not the only one.

-----Email-----

The postcard, and response, of individuals wanting to step into traffic made a knife turn in my stomach. I commend both for getting the help they needed. Not only are they changing their lives for the better, but they've stopped themselves from changing the lives of the individuals in the vehicles.

I've never been suicidal myself but just over a year ago that very thing happened to my sister, mother and I--in the dark of night, on the highway, a man walked in front of our car. He didn't survive.

I don't have a photo of the side of the highway, but I do have a photo of the car. It's jolting. But I think it shows that even if someone does go through with suicide, their decision affects more than just the ending of their own life. It transfers their hurt, pain and depression to those in the vehicle who are "lucky" enough to survive someone else's suicide.

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