I ususally work from home on Tuesdays as I tend to have meetings scheduled on Tuesday nights, but last week I worked from home on Thursday.
It was fortuitous for me that my week worked out that way.
I work in a high-rise office building. It’s part of a two building complex that’s joined by a multi story garage. I work in the shorter of the two buildings — a 14 floor one while the opposite building is 17 floors.
Last Thursday a woman talked the security guard into letting her on the roof of the 17 story building on the pretext of wanting to take photographs for a magazine spread. Once on the roof, before the guard could react at all, she hurled herself to the sidewalk below killing herself.
My office window faces the side of the building she threw herself off of. If I had been in my office, I would have seen it. Seeing the aftermath that couldn’t be eradicated from the sidewalk is bad enough…
I can’t help but wonder what drove her to take her life in that fashion.
Did she have cancer? Maybe something horrid and painfully lingering like mesothelioma or lung cancer? Was she facing financial ruin with the stock market and housing market in the terrible shape they’re in? Had she committed some terrible sin that she couldn’t live with any longer?
We’ll probably never know the answer, but her death is one that will haunt many people who work in these two buildings for a long time to come.
wow… That is certainly horrible. I pray for the family and friends that she left behind. I can not imagine something so terrible that it would cause you to want to end your life that way or end your life at all. I pray for all that are impacted by this tragic act. I’m sure that someone is terribly hurt and missing her…
The news reports never mentioned if she had any family, but I too pray for all those who witnessed this terrible, desperate act and who are affected by it.
This is a sad tale, well told. It was indeed fortuitous for you to have been working at home that day.
That is extremely tragic when you hear stories like these. I also ask myself, what triggering factor/s lead to this person to think that ending their own life was the only solution? Very sad indeed.
I am afraid you have been tagged in a meme that was passed along to me. I had to select some sites to tag so I decided to tag all those I had commented on sometime today. I hope you do not mind.
Sailor — I don’t mind, but it may be awhile before I get to it. I don’t usually DO memes but since it’s you……
ê¿ê
Wow, that is pretty tragic. I can’t believe that she could so such a thing! The poor guard though, he must feel completely awful.