This is great news. The thing is, there is no way to guarantee someone won't take their life, but making it harder is a step in the right direction. For those of you following me for many years know that I was one of those people just 5 years ago. The pain of losing my brother, my mother and my father was in a home at the time not always knowing who I was and I was not working full time. It seemed like no matter what I tried to do, nothing changed and it was hard and I was in pain 24/7. So I drove up to jump NOT because I wanted to die, because I wanted the pain to stop. I also do not have a mental illness, but after 9 years of this sorrow and devastation that kept coming, I couldn't take it anymore. I stood on the bridge for 45 minutes crying and only one person stopped to talk to me, she asked for a photo. That said I didn't feel like people didn't care about me. I knew that I was leaving behind friends and family who would be devastated, but I didn't care. I was having my most selfish day. The pain exceeded what would happen to anyone else. I am not being cold, just being honest. Unless you have lost your family and your career and have been where I was you can NOT understand, so please don't judge me.
I was lucky that I looked over the side and thought that I wanted to live no matter how much pain I was in. I actually went up twice, but the second time I felt the urge to live even more. Someone or something was guiding me to not do this. Most people in that state of mind are not so lucky.
Later in 2009 I wrote a book that I called Slanted Houses about a girl who drives up from L.A. to jump, I made it a romantic comedy. I haven't sold it yet. I tried, but it was hard and I wanted to move past what happened. But I was up there on the bridge in Nov, and I saw a girl right before she jumped. I asked her if she was okay and she lied. I walked away slowly because she had grabbed the cable when I spoke to her. Before I walked about I asked her point blank if she was going to jump, she said no. I called 911 and they got there too late. I didn't see her go over because I looked away. That became my reason for the book. I am now rewriting it as a YA novel under the new title Four Seconds.
The thing is the barrier is a great thing to happen. Why they didn't just extend the fence is beyond me,but this is very good news~ I did this painting in 2013 I called it Souls At Night because I image that the lost souls are still on the bridge.
If you know someone in trouble or you yourself are please get help http://www.suicidepreventionlifeline.org/
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