Paying attention to our mental health is so utterly important. Sometimes with depression, it seems that nothing will ever be right again, but one dad’s incredibly personal story shows us that there really is a light at the end of the tunnel.
Writer Craig Stone shared a powerful picture on Twitter of his toddler son standing where he had once contemplated suicide.
See that bench. 8yrs ago I sat on it thinking about throwing myself off Blackfriars Bridge. Today, I took this pic of my son. Tomorrow might be the same. But it might also be brighter. It might even bring unimaginable brilliance. Hang in there. Love is always coming. #depression pic.twitter.com/91mYk9hvEo
— Craig Stone (@craigstone_) 19 November 2017
He was driven to such a dark place just before he turned 30 when his rent was hiked up. Craig asked his job for a raise, which they denied him, and he fruitlessly asked both his landlord and the council if they could help him.
Both were unhelpful, so he decided to leave both his job and his flat. Craig moved into his local park, with little more than a sleeping bag, a jumper, a bag of coins, and paper and pen.
When he was homeless, Craig would look up into the windows of houses at night and ‘wonder how people got so lucky that they lived in one’.
Eventually, he wrote a book called The Squirrel that Dreamt of Madness, which he put on Amazon. A woman who read it contacted Craig about the semi-autobiographical work, thinking he was ‘some big shot author’.
He dated and moved in with the woman, who would later become his wife and the mother of his child.
Craig implored people on Twitter not to ignore people who are in the same situation he was.
28/ So please spare a thought for the homeless this Christmas. It's OK to look people in the eye. It's OK to give people some of your time.
— Craig Stone (@craigstone_) 24 November 2016
The father’s heart-warming story resonated with many people. The November 19 tweet of his son already has over 7,600 retweets and almost 24,000 likes.
“I was suicidal many time over the years but somehow kept going. I now have 4 kids… Learned to try and love myself. Every day is a bonus,” replied one dad.
Another Twitter user said, “I have been going through a severe depression myself. Your tweet helps me see out today's day and probably tomorrow and then the day after. Thank you for sharing this and unknowingly inspiring me to fight another day.”
The father was overwhelmed with the kind words that people sent to him in response.
Reading through the comments here is a joy. And to think, they said Twitter was full of trolls. All I'm seeing is lovely people being supportive and happy for happiness. Thank you for all the lovely responses! Big hugs everyone. x
— Craig Stone (@craigstone_) 20 November 2017
Thank you, Craig, for sharing the love and showing us that life always has something wonderful in store for us.
