Have you ever felt that your life was changed because of a person you met?

In an alternate reality there is a world without me as no one stopped me from jumping that day.

Things snowball faster than we often realize.

In another reality there is a Tony who never dealt with his drinking problem and drove home that night and an innocent bystander never made it home. In another reality there is a Tony that never sought out help to work on his mental health (and eventual neurodivergence diagnosis), only to continue to spiral out of control and remain in the grasps of depression.  In another alternate reality there is a Tony who became a victim of his own circumstances and drowned trying to fight life’s currents. But here I stand in the present knowing that I did not become these alternate realities, because another person stretched out a helping hand and I reached back out to them.

Originally when I started out on this journey of writing, I originally intended on it just being an outlet for me to explore another creative medium (and a means of working through and understanding my emotions). The first time that someone reached out to me and shared that they had a similar experience or that my writings resonated within themselves, it changed everything. The more and more that I wrote, this journey has evolved into a love letter of sorts to myself.

I want to make a quick tangent to make one point that is vital to this conversation. I know we are talking about helping others in their time of need but I don’t want to forget the most important person in the room right now, us the individual. Lately I’ve been on what I call a bit of an emotional roller coaster. The beginning of 2025 started out good, only to take a downturn with some family health issues, only to sky rocket with my own personal discoveries, only to take another downturn due to a mental breakdown (and personal illness) that stopped me in my tracks. I am self-sacrificing in nature and tend to always think about the wellbeing of others before the wellbeing of myself. Maybe this is because I feel as if I have a life (karmic) debt that must be repaid, but it’s a lifestyle that I cannot manage. Don’t forget about your own needs, as we can’t help others if we can’t help ourselves. I know I certainly forget this vital piece of information, but that is why life is a learning experience. Now back to our regularly scheduled program.

My life has been touched by multiple people, some of those whom are strangers and others whom are friends for life. What may seem like an insignificant moment in time, very may well be a moment in time in which you made someone feel noticed. We all carry a tremendous power to change someone outlook with something as simple as a smile. Lately I’ve come to the realization that life is bigger than me.

Empathy is the single greatest power that we all possess. I pride myself on my ability to express empathy to those whom I meet and those whom I’m around.

I want to see a world in which one person has a positive impact on another to see love grow in the world. At a time in which we are at our most divided (from an ideological perspective and I fully understand that this will not be a “quick fix”) we need to work towards coming together again as a society. And the easiest way to start to heal the damage that has been done is to spread empathy and love to one another. We are all human and we are all stuck on the same rock hurtling through time and space. So it’s time to love your brothers and sisters.

I’m a big fan of everything happens for a reason.  In an alternate reality there is a parallel universe without me there.  I’ve been pulled back into the world of the living by so many people that I want to pay that forward.  

I have written a letter to myself in the past, but it was a suicide note that detailed my mental struggles with depression and mask that I knew I was carrying. However that note will never see the light of day. I still have the old journal that I kept, but it’s currently hidden. I’ve held on to it as a reminder as to where I’ve been and to where I’ve grown.

Just. Be. Kind.

It’s as simple as that.  Spread kindness and love will grow in the world. 

For us who suffer, you got this. We can do this and every day is a new day. As long as you are doing the best you can is all that matters. I know it’s cliché but it’s darkest right before the dawn. And the world is a better place with you in it.

管杯 (Kanpai), salud, santé, cin cin, prost, sláinte, and cheers to our futures and may they be bright.

Love, Tony