Never lose hope

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Friday afternoon as I drove southbound on I-5 in Portland, Oregon, I casually glanced over at the northbound lanes. No cars. I barely had time to wonder why traffic was non-existent until my eyes discovered why.

A man was negotiating/talking/arguing with police while he stood on the wrong side of the guardrail on a street that passed over the highway. It was clear he was prepared to jump. All of this I saw for just moments as I continued on, helplessly. Terrible scene.

One word came to my mind: hope. I don’t know this gentleman’s circumstances. I don’t know what kind of trouble he faced, or what adversity, disappointment, sadness, heartbreak, or series of setbacks he experienced. But one thing was clear: he wanted it all to be over with. Now. And unfortunately, I don’t have an “end” to his story. I heard no more details on either the radio news or the television news later in the day.

My takeway was this: Never lose hope. Never, ever give up. Difficulties will come your way. Heartbreak is inevitable. Circumstances will develop that will test your judgment, your decision-making, your physical endurance, your patience, and your faith. Maybe even your trust in others or everyone. But giving up is never the answer.

Do all you can in the face of disappointment to view setbacks as temporary. Isolate them as individual events that are disconnected from everything else in your life. They don’t determine who you are. And I’m even talking the big stuff here. Bankruptcy. Divorce. Losing your job. Losing your health. Losing a loved one.

When it’s all said and done, life is really not about finishing first, it’s about having run a good race.