I had experienced a job loss, followed by bankruptcy and foreclosure. I then went through about a year of what's called "sheltered" homelessness. I began making progress until my world seemingly fell apart again, largely of my own doing. If I were to rank all of my calamities in order of severity, being homeless (again) wouldn't have even made the top three.

Suicide moved from my "radar" to my "itinerary." I drove westward(ish) from where I was living at the time. Somewhere between Madison, Wisconsin, and Davenport, Iowa, I made the decision to remove suicide from my itinerary.

I wish I could conclude my introduction with "And I've lived happily ever after." However, "stuff" continued to happen in my life. And "stuff" will always happen in my life. But I'm learning how to process and respond to "stuff."

My topic is about my journey leading up to my decision to end my life, my decision not to end my life, and my decision to live my life. My life is far from perfect, but I've learned and I continue to learn how to move forward. I wish to share my story with those who may need to learn or re-learn how to move forward.