Today I painted my nails yellow because a) Avon gave me free yellow nailpolish at BlogHer and b) today is World Suicide Prevention Day.
I noticed a friend’s Facebook status announcing the day yesterday, and, after consulting Google and confirming the Day, I felt it was necessary to wear yellow.
The only problem was I don’t own anything yellow.
I’m pale, I’m ginger, and yellow just isn’t a complimentary color for me.
I finally found a flowered dress I had bought in the spring with a hint of yellow here and there on it, and the yellow nails completed the outfit.
When I arrived at school, I was shocked to see so many people in yellow. Maybe it was pure coincidence, but the amount of yellow roaming the halls of my school was overwhelming. With suicide, there’s a certain degree of “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” in regards to the topic. All day, I never asked my colleagues or students about the sea of yellow surrounding me, and they, God bless them, never made a comment about my schoolbus yellow nails.
I was also supposed to light a candle at 8pm, but apparently matches were something I never thought to pack when I moved. Instead, I had a moment of reflection with an unlit candle and the photos I’ve been carrying in my wallet for almost a year now…
In memory of Lauren
As Lauren herself said, “We always question the people who look more upset and depressed than usual, and never think to worry about the people who don’t seem capable of expressing any sort of negative emotion at all.” Reach out to a friend you haven’t heard from in awhile tonight, and let him or her know you care. You never know what kind of difference you’ll make.
This post is dedicated to all of those who left this world too soon due to suicide, and to all of those who have attempted suicide. You’re in my heart today.
I will be joining with thousands of people nationwide to walk in AFSP’s Central New Jersey Walk to benefit the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention. The walk is happening on September 30th, 15 days after the one year anniversary of Lauren’s death. It means a lot to me to be able to walk in memory of my friend so close to where she spent so much of her time, and I hope you’ll consider joining Team Lauren with me.
The American Foundation for Suicide Prevention is at the forefront of research, education and prevention initiatives designed to reduce loss of life from suicide. With more than 36,000 lives lost each year in the U.S. and over one million worldwide, the importance of AFSP’s mission has never been greater, nor our work more urgent.
I hope you will consider supporting my participation in this event. Any contribution will help the work of AFSP, and all donations are 100% tax deductible.
To donate towards my fundraiser, please click here.
To join Team Lauren on September 30th, click here.
Thank you. <3
The first day flew by, as it was a half day, and the students were overall really awesome, especially with it being the most humid day of the year in our sauna of a classroom.