Erica McBeth

52 New Friends Erica McBeth

In December of 2017, I went with a friend to the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention's Out of the Darkness Walk in Phoenix. One of the speakers at the event noted our community is like a patchwork quilt. Some of the pieces of fabric are more vibrant than others. Some of the pieces you hardly notice, but if you rip one of those pieces out, it affects every other piece of fabric around it. These words were deeply impactful to me. I looked around at the crowd of two thousand people who had gathered and it hit me how a person's actions could affect so many. It hurt my soul to know there had been so many people in my community that had lost hope and left this world because they felt so alone. And it hit home because in late 2017, I was feeling empty and lonely. I was single, childless and over forty. Most nights after work, I would come home, crawl in my bed with my three little dogs and stare like a zombie at the television. The demons that live in everyone's head, had begun loudly whispering negative, defeating things in my ear. I wasn't suicidal but I hurt inside. I didn't want other people to hurt like I did. So, I decided to make a change. I set a New Year's Resolution in 2018 to meet one new person a week or 52 new friends. I began the journey to listen to those not listened to, to try to connect to people in an effort that it might encourage others to do the same. This book is the diary of that journey. All profits from this book will be donated back to the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention.