Can I Talk to You?
- Dizzle Stax
- Sep 18
- 7 min read
What's goody? What's goin dine? Hope all is well on your end! Blessings have been bestowed upon me so I will never complain! It's been over a week since I last talked to y'all and I promise I'm in a much better mood now. It's mostly because the Cowboys played last week and didn't look like absolute dogshit, giving me a single sliver of hope that we'll at least be competitive this year. But I must admit, that I can't do this...I can't let 52 football players, another 20-25 coaches, and one stubborn...stubborn...stubborn Owner/President/GM dictate my mood for the next 6 months! (If you do the math you notice that I added February in there 😈 because in all actuality this MIGHT be our year!) Oh damn...I'm doing the Cowboy fan thing again ain't I? Oh well, on to more important issues...
"It's a Great Day to Be Alive!"
When I was growing up playing little league baseball, my two main coaches were always my dad and my Uncle Leslie. Now my Unclie Leslie wasn't my actual uncle, he was just my dad's best friend, but if you grew up in a community like mine you would understand. And to keep it a buck, he really was like an uncle to me. I could talk about my Uncle Leslie all day but the main reason I brought him up is because every time we had little league practice, all of the players would show up and we'd start stretching and warming up, and my Uncle Leslie would yell out at the top of his lungs, "GREEEEAAAAT DAY TO BE ALIVE!" This saying has been ingrained in my memory to this day to where it randomly will pop up in my head sometimes. To me, it just highlights the blessing that it is to have the gift of life, and I've felt that even on some of my worst days, when I hear my Uncle Leslie's voice shouting that out in my head, my temperment begins to change and I become grateful for the positives in my life. I honestly wish I shared this with my players that I began to coach when I became an adult.
September is National Suicide Prevention and Awareness month, and unfortunately way too many people have had days where they don't see the value of their life and made a permanent decision about it. Suicide is something, that if I had to guess has effected a majority of us in one way or another. Whether you yourself have attempted or had some dark thoughts, or maybe lost a close family member or friend, or even lost someone you weren't close to or didn't know but looked up to for certain reasons. Full disclosure, I'll share a fear of mine that sometimes hits me, that I have never mentioned to anybody personally; I'm often voluntarily the sense of comedic relief in my circle of family and friends, and when we learned that Robin Williams died of suicide years ago, it really struck a nerve for me. I looked up to and admired him as someone who brought joy to everyone and every room he entered. But the harsh reality that this exposed me to, is that even those who seem the happiest and the funniest go through tough times. Just a year after the death of Robin Williams, I received a phone call with the same tragic news about one of my high school teammates. My buddy had always been lightning rod of our teams since I met him and began playing with him around 12/13 years old. In all of my years of knowing him, I never really saw him in a bad mood. I'd really only seen him pissed off once and that was moreso the competitor in him on the field. So hearing that my happy go lucky, full of laughter, life of the party buddy from high school took his life, left me speechless and hurting, not only for myself but especially for his family as well. But it also unlocked a new fear of mine, like Williams and my friend, I love to laugh and bring joy to those around me, and if they experienced these dark times, will I ever experience something similar? And if so, how am I going to deal with it?
Thankfully my mind hasn't been met with this conflict, but again far too many people have. The National Alliance on Mental Illness provided some eye opening statistics:
1 in 20 US adults have serious suicidal thoughts each year
About one person dies by suicide in the US every 11 minutes
79% of people who die by suicide in the US are MALE
Although more women attempt suicide than men, men are four times more likely to die by suicide
*I could make a joke here about this being the only thing that men are better than women at but it's not necessarily that appropriate*
In the US, suicide is the 2nd leading cause of death in people aged 10-24 years old
There's more data that you can find at nami.org, but from here I wanted start by saying to anyone who may be facing struggles or thoughts of suicide, YOUR LIFE IS VALUED! I understand that it may be hard to comprehend at times, and there can be feelings of loneliness, but I guarantee, you mean something to someone. I'm no mental health expert or licensed therapist, but I do know that however tough things may get, they're never a forever thing. One of my favorite songs of all time is "Rain" by Chamillionaire ft. Scarface and Billy Cook. This song takes you to a mindset that I know many people visit, the realities of depression and the every day frustration of feeling like life's not moving in a positive direction. Chamillionaire's verses shine a light on the darkness, acknowleding different problems that could hold a person down, but also leaving room for faith and hope to lift them up. Scarface, who's known painting pictures of darkness and despair, spits a verse that's 99.9% negativity, but is probably one of the most impressive and important verses I've ever heard. Skill wise he's just a beast on beats, but this verse shows depression and suicidal thoughts in all of its depths. I'm very confident that this song and verse alone has saved someone's life before. But the end of the song is the saving grace that every person walking this earth needs to realize and understand.
When it seems like nothing but dark clouds are raining in on your bright sunny day,
Remember, the sunlight always comes after the rain,
You should be thankful...
Every day should be a celebration of life!
These are just words and I know they can't compare to what you may be feeling now, but I promise they mean something!
Now if this isn't your first time visiting my blog I'm sure you know by now that I'm a man of faith. So I couldn't share this blog with the world without mentioning my God, and how a relationship with the Lord is a huge help, especially when it comes to mental health and suicide prevention. I started writing this blog a few days prior, but this whole time I've been trying to think of how I was going to incorporate God into this. But my prayers must've been answered because my dad preached a sermon this morning that really touched base on the topic without him even knowing I was writing this. So I'm just going to steal a couple of the lesson points from him, I'm sure he wouldn't mind lol
Expect that disappointments will come into our lives; Nobody is immune to trials and tribulations, understand that with the right mindset, those trials aren't here to destroy us but develop us.
Feel your feels; It's ok to cry, but don't wallow in your issues or cry without any hope afterwards
Encourage yourself in the Lord; Take it to God, too many times people go to the wrong resources to try and solve their problems. And if you do go to someone, make sure you talk to God first. And when you talk to God, learn to wait on Him before taking action. This is probably one of the hardest things to do because we want to make things better right away. Personally speaking, sometimes I take a problem to God with a solution already in mind and then completely ignore whatever new intuition or answers that I'm given.
There's nothing wrong with seeking professional help from a licensed therapist, especially if they're a Christian; This one is extremely important for the black community and the stigmas around mental health and therapy. And it's ok to go to a trusted friend or family member for help or advice, but sometimes that person may not be equipped in how to handle your problem(s). Your issue may seem like a unique one to you, but professional therapists see all kind of problems, and may be more apt to help you based off of other experiences.
You can recover it all; Whatever you may be going through, when you give your problems to God, He can help you recover!
Although this month is Suicide Awareness and Prevention month, this problem is a year round issue that affects many lives. I want you to know that if you're ever in a battle mentally with yourself, that there are avenues and outlets where you can get help. And the last thing that anyone wants to see you do is harm yourself. Don't be afraid or too prideful to talk to someone, our internal wounds aren't meant to harbor or fester. Below are a few links to websites where you can get help if you or someone you know needs it.
Thank you oh so much for kickin it with me this week! I know I didn't exactly bring the funny but this was something that was heavy on my heart and I felt it was necessary to talk about. Please if you have any feedback, recommendations, or tips, leave a comment! You never know who might need to see it. I know I'm not an expert so I'm sure there's another point of view out there that could prove valuable. Also, if you wanna hit me up the easiest way to catch me is on IG @dizzlestax10k, but I'm also on Twitter and TikTok under the same name as well. And as you know, if there's anything that I want you to know after reading this it's that I love you...and JESUS LOVES YOU TOO!
Romans 8: 38-39
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