Synopsis "Suicide: One Person's Journey to Making the Choice"
Hindsight is 20/20. I doubt there are many people who if given a chance, wouldn't like the opportunity to go back in time and change some, if not all of their past. Be it the choices they made as an individual or the things that affected them in some negative or hurtful way. It is the events of our past combined with our individual innate sensitivities that each of us possess, however, that contributes to the making of the person each of us will ultimately become. Each generation holds within it certain truths. The way children were raised 50 or 60 years ago, could not be scarcely imagined by the children of today. The discipline imposed by parents onto their children of only 30 or 40 years ago, while acceptable then, would have been judged as abuse by today's standards. It is only through years of living that one is able to mentally go back in time to evaluate the affects life as a child has had on them. It is also through years of living, that we are able to truly appreciate and put to use those lessons that were taught to us so many years ago. Through time, the recollection of certain incidents may become clouded. Some facts or details recalled differently from one person to the next. That doesn't make an event any less real or accurate within the individual mind of the person that recalls it, or any less important. While there may be emotional pains associated with an individual's upbringing, it is imperative that we try to look past the pain to the lesson. In every situation we encounter throughout the course of our lives, from childhood through adulthood, we have an opportunity to learn something. The only things preventing us from learning these lessons are our own fear, anger, pride and sheer unwillingness. There will always be pain, hurt and loss as long as there is life. There are no cookie-cutter designs for the perfect parent or for the perfect child. We use what we learn and experience as children, to hopefully someday become stronger adults and eventually better parents for our own children. As we grow into adults, we are faced with other issues that bring about the feeling of pain, hurt and loss. Each incident will affect us in a way that may or may not be understood by others in society, but once again, that perception from one person to the next is no less real or important. Life is a journey. A race filled with obstacles and lessons, starting from conception and continuing throughout life until finally reaching its end in death. Enjoy your journey...for you know not when it shall end!Other books by T. J. Christoff include: My Patchwork Heart: A Collection of Original Poetry 1983 - 2009 (Vol. 1); My Patchwork Heart: A Collection of Original Poetry 2010 - 2014 (Vol. 2); Today I'm Reminded: 366 Days to Mindfulness and Awakening.
