Saturday, January 18, 2025

John, a stocky, shorter man, is a regular customer who is always moving with energy. Whenever he sees me, he stops what he is doing, and will head toward my line just to say hey and give me a hug. I haven’t had the time to ask him about his holidays until today. “Actually, it was tough. A relative of my wife died.” He motioned, taking a pill which I assume meant taking an overdose.

“He was only 22 years old. And I heard it was over a girl!” He told me this is the second person in their twenties that he heard killed themselves.

“I tell you Stef, this is why I hug my kids whenever I can. I want them to have those memories to remember good times.”

I gave my condolences as he headed off. Life is difficult. It is hard to know how best to respond when you see someone struggling.
Nature can teach us a lot about being resilient 

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