If you or someone you know is in crisis call or text the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline (para ayuda en español, llame al 988). The Lifeline provides 24-hour, confidential support to anyone in suicidal crisis or emotional distress. Call 911 in life-threatening situations.
Shannon’s Pick: Hold On
“Hold on, it gets better than you know.”
Consider tonight part two of the Hysteria write-up. I promise it won’t be as long.
This song was released sometime in 2003 and I’m sure I probably heard it around then, but it wasn’t until much later when I saw the music video for the first time that the whole weight of it hit me.
The video starts out talking to some of those who were left behind when someone close to them committed suicide, so that hit a nerve for sure, but as the video continued to play something else happened. I started to see it less from the perspective of what I had gone through being the one left behind to the perspective of who I would have left behind.
I like to tell Larry there is a difference between knowing something in your head and knowing something in your heart and in that moment watching the video something I had known in my head for a long time I finally understood in my heart. I realized all that I had done, seen and experienced since September of 1988 would never have happened. It’s not like I hadn’t thought of that before, but this was the first time I actually felt it and an overwhelming feeling of gratitude and of sadness came flooding out. Gratitude for all that came after, mostly Larry, Gabriel and Connor and sadness for the thought that had I succeeded Gabriel and Connor would not be here. Even just typing those words the tears are flowing.
Larry’s Perspective:
I've heard this song, but it was just a painting on a wall - just something that passes by....until tonight.