9/23 As I drive J to her orchestra rehearsal in Rhinebeck, the electronic message board on the Kingston-Rhinecliff Bridge shows THERE IS HOPE, clearly to prevent people from jumping. It’s that same kind of board that you see on roads everywhere and which at other times will show U DRIVE U TEXT U PAY or HEADLIGHTS ON WHEN WIPERS ON. That last one’s my favorite because it reminds me of some truly apocalyptic early rush hour mornings on the Williamsburg Bridge during my first years here.

I wonder if THERE IS HOPE ever got anyone to not jump. Or, for that matter, whether studies were done to find the most effective wording to keep people from jumping. I would also imagine that one person or another who wanted to jump may have looked at the sign and decided to forgive the somewhat clumsy attempt to deter them. It’s America after all and we don’t bother being particularly eloquent to get a message across. And so I wonder whether because of exactly that – accepting the imperfections of human communication – someone decided to hang in there just for now.