Suicide is an epidemic. 

There is not two ways around it. Suicide seems to be a one way, dead end street that only goes downhill. There are so many people in this world who just need someone to listen. To truly care, and stop everything to hear what they have to say. "Saving" someone is not an easy task, I know this, because I have both been saved and saved someone else. At the end of the day, though, the only person who can really save someone is the person controling their own actions: yourself. Yes, there can be people who influence a desision and yes, people can physically pull someone from a ledge or pills out of their hand. There will come a time when that person is alone, and they have the choice, to live, or to end it. 

~

She was broken, badly. I saw the scars, I saw the tired look on her face, and I understood. Sure, maybe starring at someone in a supermarket food line is something I would only do. She didn't bother hinding her wrist in her sleve anymore, she was tired of taking everything in account to conceal her coping strategy. While everyone else who saw her scars starred at them, I looked at her eyes. My heart broke. I could see how many times they had cried for hours on end.

This was one of those moments when the angel and the devil sat on my shoulders. I should go talk to her, to make sure she's okay, and give her some words of encouragement. At the same time, what if she does not want to talk about it? What if what I say makes matters even worse, or what if she finds it shameful? My mom was further down the aisle, nagging at me to throw something inside the cart. I don't think I said anything back to her, and I walked towards the door after her. 

"Hey," I choked out quietly. The girl spinned on her heels to face me, "do you need help with that?" I glanned down at the bags she was holding.

She looked stunned, then perplexed, then hesistant. "Alright, thanks." She had said. I took two of the heaviest bags and watched her body relax. "My dad's car isn't too far away, just up here." She motioned her head to an area of the parking lot. 

My conscience was yelling at me again, telling me to ask, then telling me not to ask. "Whatever it is," I blurted out, unable to stop myself, "it'll get better. I know it sounds stupid, but life is worth living. You deserve a happy life, and if you just continue to push through it, life will look up." Instead of glancing at her wrist, I looked her sincerely in the eyes. "You have purpose and a reason to be here, a positive reason, I mean. Don't give up, please don't ever give up." 

"I..." She didn't know what to say, and that was fine with me. I didn't need a 'thank you' or a hug, all I needed was to know that she heard me. 

A small smile broke on my lips when we stopped at a car. "Life sucks, sometimes it has to get worse before it even thinks about getting better. Always remember there are people there for you." Her dad opened up the car door, and asked her where she had been. "She helped me pick up my grocieries when they fell, it was my fault, I'm sorry, sir." I sent the girl one last, reassuring look, and started back towards the store.

~

Suicide, self harm, and self hate are not one way roads. They are very much two way roads with two lanes on either side, just not a lot of people are willing to travel down it willingly to help someone else who needs it. Be the person to make a difference in someone's life, be the person who does something. Be the person to help bring someone back, because we were born to help.