I turn 37 in a few days. As far back as I can remember, I have dealt with feelings of emptiness and loneliness. You have too. I know because I have watched men like you and me kill themselves with drugs and alcohol. I have seen men waste away from hate, anger, and despair as they tried to fill that void in the pit of their stomach.
A few months back, I helped a friend of mine hike across the state of California to raise awareness for mental health. He lost his brother to suicide. We spoke to fathers, brothers, sons, mothers, daughters, and sisters of men we had lost to the anguish of emptiness.
I am not an expert on mental health. I am just a guy that believes in you. So I am writing you a letter.
How’s your back doing? Mine aches a lot more than I thought it would. How are the kids? Mine are great, but they still don’t listen to me very well. Sometimes I get angry with them. I don’t want to, but it happens. I’ve gotten better at it.
Relationships are tough, aren’t they? I just celebrated my 15th wedding anniversary. I’d like to be closer to my wife. She’d like to be closer to me too, but there’s so much stuff in between us — work, kids, hobbies, sex, time.
How’s the career going? I imagine it isn’t quite like what you thought it would be. Long hours and demanding situations, but it can be tedious and…
