A while ago, a teenager in Dublin, Ireland, was walking to the store when he saw a stranger sitting alone on a bridge.
"I was just on my way to the American sweet shop to buy some Gatorade, when I saw this guy in his 30s sitting on the ledge of the bridge," Jamie told Humans of Dublin. "I just thought, 'wow...' I stopped and asked him if he was okay, but I knew from the look in his eyes he wasn't, and he didn't say anything either, but I saw tears coming from his eyes."
After a few minutes, Jamie managed to coax the man away from the bridge and, for the next 45 minutes or so, Jamie listened attentively as the stranger shared his burdens.
"We sat on the sidewalk on the south side of the Liffey and talked... about what was happening to him, why was he feeling that way." Eventually, the man accepted Jamie's suggestion that he call an ambulance so he could be taken to a hospital where they "could help him feel better." Before departing, the two exchanged phone numbers.
Jamie, 16, says that "about three months ago, he texted me that his wife is pregnant, they're having a boy, and they're naming him after me. Can you believe that? They're going to name their child after me."
"He said in that moment that I approached him, he was just about to jump, and those few words saved his life. That they're still ringing in his head every day. 'Are you okay?' I can't really understand how these few words could save his life, but he told me, 'Imagine if nobody ever asked you those words...'"
Sometimes, all it takes is a moment of genuine concern, a kind word, or a simple question to make a world of difference. Jamie's story serves as a beautiful reminder that each of us has the potential to be a hero in someone else's life by reaching out and asking, "Are you okay?"
Comments