I was challenged to do  22 push-ups to raise awareness about veteran suicide rates, 22 a day.

 

I’m a bit disadvantaged on the push-up challenge, but maybe that is just an opportunity for me to put a shoulder injury in perspective of real tragedies and be grateful of more important things.

 

Here is a link to donate to fund the crisis centers that can help people at their times of need. http://donate.stopsoldiersuicide.org/

 

Here is a link to the Veteran’s Crisis Information. http://www.mentalhealth.va.gov/suicide_prevention/

 

There is no shame in mental disease or disorders of any kind, but sometimes reaching out for help feels like it takes the type of courage we usually associate with war stories.
War has always scared me, and I am a big proponent of elected officials leading us away from war, but the courage it takes to sacrifice your own security for others is a universal trait we all admire and I would like to show appreciation for.
Because I don’t understand these issues through my own experience, I have tried to come to an understanding of them through people who do know them, reading, and writing to help me explore and understand them at least a little bit better.
Hemingway’s “In Another Country,” a story about wounded warriors, always stays in mind. I wrote the poem below about the issue of suicide in general. It helped me think about mindsets I don’t have but want to understand.