A 7-year-old girl in the outdoor pool at the club today swam over, took my hand and asked me to lead her out of the deep part of the pool to the shallow part. I was so touched I almost cried. She was so innocent and trusting, and missing three teeth. We then splashed around, throwing a ball, racing each other to different parts of the pool, for about 40 minutes. It was like swimming with an angel, she had absolutely no shyness or fear, and neither did I. Every time I think about suicide because the world is so harsh and ugly, one of the reasons that keeps me in check is children and animals.

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