I Did Not Expect To Write This

Almost every night I take a sunset walk with my dog along Crissy Beach in San Francisco. Its a nice area. Crashing waves, birds flying overhead, and if you go at the right time a great view of the sun setting behind the Golden Gate Bridge. Last night was like any other. Slightly colder than I’d like, but hey, I can’t really complain.

When I reached my normal stopping point on the path I sat down on a washed up log and watched my dog splash around in the water as the sun set behind him. I took out my phone and took a video so I could look back on this moment.

Unbeknownst to me, someone on the Golden Gate Bridge was on the complete other end of the spectrum. As my dog was splashing around in the water they were climbing over the railing to jump off the bridge and take their own life. I did not see this individual jump but as the sun finished setting I leashed my dog up to go home, and then that is when the search and rescue teams started arriving at the parking lot and the search light from the helicopter began shining beneath the bridge. It became evident to me what had happened. Someone had jumped.

I don’t know what I am supposed to say.

I don’t know how I am supposed to feel.

It was such a weird juxtaposition. As I watched my dog run around in the water and think about everything positive in my life someone who was in my field of view was doing the exact opposite.