A Sad Tale

I heard a sad story today.

Two people I'm close to were enjoying a break in the rain and walking along the beach yesterday. It's a particularly beautiful spot--a long, trudging walk through sand dunes, rewarded by a view of miles coastline to the north and south. They're very conscious of maintaining its pristine appearance, and collect trash and occasional treasures on their walks at that beach. Seeing a pile of clothing among the dunes, they went to clear them away--and unfortunately found the body of a young man, hardly a man, still wearing the clothes. Judging from the circles and circles of footprints, he had paced some time before deciding to take his own life.

If I were to die, they are the people I'd want to find my remains--calm and respectful. And if I were to die, lying down in the cradle of dune, sheltered from the roaring waves and wind would be the place to do it. But I'm sad for the youth, driven to suicide by unknowable forces, his family and friends, and that my friends had to be the ones to find him.