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If Only . . .She was about 30 years old. A pretty woman to me. She hadseveral lines of deep scars on her face that I assumed were the result of severe injuries caused by a car accident. Or worse, an attack. This disturbed me. I noticed her from my balcony within days of moving in to my highrise, walking 2 little white dogs around the block. She was always alone, always with a look of deep sadness on her face. I must have ran into her at least twenty times during my year-and-a- quarter of living here, on the elevator or on the grounds of our building, each time trying to engage her in conversation - about the weather, her dogs, anything to try to get her to at least, smile. Never once did she smile though, or answer me with more than a couple of words. After each attempt, I just left her with my smile, and let it go. Like you I'm sure, I have been face-to-face with people that have been deeply depressed. In my heart of hearts, I knew she was. Without knowing anything about her, I could only surmise that whatever had happened in her life to cause this disfigurement was the reason. Perhaps shallow of me, but I couldn't even imagine looking in the mirror each day to see such hideous physical devastation. On Monday of last week, I proceeded out the main doors of my building to go on my morning walk. I noticed 2 police cars and a forensics van in the visitors parking lot. My mind began to wonder as to what this could possibly have been about. I concluded that perhaps an elderly tenant had passed away, and promptly forgot about it. On the following Friday, I discovered the truth. I saw one of the building managers who had just returned from a funeral - the funeral of this young woman. She had done what was unperceivable to me - she took her own life. I was shaken. I learned in that conversation that her scars were the result of surgery, for cancer. I became deeply disturbed. Truth is, I had thought so many times that I should invite this woman for a coffee, or for a walk in the sculpture park below of our building. Something where some friendly conversation could 'break the ice' and hopefully have her smile. Even just a single time. I have a gift where I can make most people smile:-) In retrospect though, I can only now imagine that she had a great smile. But I will never know. Because, as many times as I thought to make this overture, never once did I act upon it. And being that I have been blessed to have been in a position many times in my life to have 'been there' for people who were depressed, and even suicidal, I again, did NOT ACT UPON IT. Guilty? Yes, I am. Of course, I cannot afford to even begin to blame myself, a total stranger to her, for what she felt she ultimately had no choice to do. On the other hand, I could have chosen to do something, and act upon my desire to at least try to help. The obvious questions arise. Would she have accepted my invitation to a coffee shop, or for a walk down the trail? If she did, could I have made even a small difference in her life and actually see her smile -- at least once? That, would have been wonderful to me. Or, could I have made even a small impact that would have ultimately led to, well, her deciding NOT swallow the overdose of medicine that she did? Thing is, I will never know, because I chose NOT TO ACT. Too busy, of course. Too many other things going on in my personal life. Too many other things going on in the lives I was close to. Too busy in my business life. If I can take away one lesson with me from this dark experience, it is the one I wish to share with you -- when your intuition tells you to do something not only once, but many times, ACT UPON IT. Your intuition is your biggest friend, whether you know it now, or not. It honestly hurts to know that I did nothing to follow up on my own intuition in this sad, sad case. It is even sadder to know that I never even knew the name of this pretty woman. I dislike, and try to hardly ever use, the word, "if". It is usually used in context with a negative circumstance. In this case though, I can now only wonder would have happened, "If Only . . ." © Rick Beneteau About the author: Rick is co-creator of the breakthrough Make Every Day A Great Day Program. Read the powerful, life-changing testimonials and discover how this revolutionary product can dramatically change Your Life too!: http://www.MakeEveryDayAGreatDay.com/yes Circulated by Article Emporium Uncover Your Diamond Uncover Your Diamond: “Ignite Your Inner Light” Stress is a natural part of being human. But contrary to popular belief, stress does not have to be destructive. Quite the opposite, stress can be creative. The fact is that everything in life has been created by elements stress... How Much Risk Is Too Much To Take? The ladder was braced against the railings going to the basement. I started climbing up. I had to get to the ceiling and this was my Rube Goldberg way of doing it without having to put up scaffolding. I made it up two or three rungs before coming to my senses. It would be so easy f... If Only . . . She was about 30 years old. A pretty woman to me. She had several lines of deep scars on her face that I assumed were the result of severe injuries caused by a car accident. Or worse, an attack. This disturbed me. I noticed her from my balcony within days of mo... How Would You Like To Have A Razor Sharp Memory? Forgetful? Can't remember where you put things? Honey! Where did I put my damn keys? Do you forget important dates like your…oops! Anniversary? Peoples names, birthdays, places, events, what you studied, etc, all draw a blank? If so,... Letting go and Letting Be “Speaking words of wisdom, “Let it Be” Paul McCartney In Corrogue it is frosty. The earth is heard and unyielding. This reminds me of how our hearts often become. They become cold and we ourselves become frosty. The flow of our energy is blocked. ... The 4 Most Important Tips to Speed Read Faster than Ever Many people, particularly students, would love to be able to soak up information quicker. But before retaining information, they have to go through the first stage of learning, which is reading. For many individuals who are pressed for time, speed reading ... Top Ten Question Prompts Copyright 2005 Writer's Eye Advisory Service Questions can be very effective in helping develop your journal technique. Exploring is part of the fun of journaling. Questions allow you to explore, develop and plan creative ideas, as well as solve problems. Just listen the peo... Choose the right incense burner Incense and incense burners come in many different varieties. While incenses vary in essences and aromas, incense burners vary in materials and shapes. Not only the incense you choose will have an effect on your environment, but the incense burner you use will do so as well. The in... Is This Misconception Blocking Money from Your Life? Copyright 2005 Melissa Quiter Are you suffering from the misconception that the only way to have great wealth in your life is to be lucky, privileged, entitled or hard working? If you are nodding yes, you now know why you don't have exactly what you desire in your lif... Why she doesn't call you back The main reason she does not call you back probably because you are doing something that doesn't agree with her. You may be coming at the whole relationship from the traditional or according behavior, and this may be leading her to just drop you as soon a she can. She h... Learn Faster; Change is Coming Challenges posed by recent economic and market shifts, though predicted for some time, have instigated chaos in the lives of many business professionals and factory workers alike, not to mention just about everyone else who is paying attention. Instead of embracing change and allow... Lectio Divina Lectio divina is a very useful and practical discipline for spiritual growth. Rooted in ancient monasticism, the practice is a fourfold cycle: Reading, Meditation, Prayer, and Contemplation. In fact, the term itself means “sacred reading.” Reading. Lectio divina begins ... Turning Scarcity Thinking into Abundance Thinking: Hurricane Katrina's Lesson for the Rest of Us Copyright 2005 Alicia Forest The devastation that has rocked the Gulf Coast recently is almost unimaginable, isn't it? I know these are extraordinary circumstances, but the looting that has been taking place has made me think about why some people take whatever they want and... Ten Reasons To Have an Inspired, World Changing Goal Copyright 2005 Coco Fossland In a nutshell, having an Inspired, World-Changing Goal is the difference between idly walking along a path leading to nowhere and taking a purpose-filled journey to somewhere. But before you can really consider why you need an Inspired, ... The Art of Rest I recently spent four days alone in a rustic cabin on a bluff on the wild Washington coast. I worked on my novel, read, napped, did yoga, ate huge salads, sat in the sunshine, and watched eagles eat crab scavenged from the ocean's edge. It was one of the most truly restful retreats...
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