Suicide Prevention Saturday - Weed & Water your mental garden!
In this live‑stream, Brooke Cheney, owner‑instructor of A Great Start Shooting School, hosts a casual yet purposeful discussion titled “Suicide Prevention Saturday – Watering Your Garden.” She opens by noting that two‑thirds of gun‑related deaths are suicides, framing suicide prevention as a core responsibility for gun owners. Using the metaphor of the brain as a garden, she explains that mental health requires regular “watering” (positive inputs) and “weeding” (removing harmful thoughts). The primary “water” she advocates is gratitude, illustrated with personal stories from childhood, recent hospital recovery, and a fun steampunk event. She stresses the challenge of remembering to practice gratitude, especially during low‑point days, and encourages daily, imperfect action. Throughout, she engages with community members (Mike White, Tara Smith, G23, Charlie Cook, Mr. Ballinger, Nadia, etc.), shares anecdotes about relationships, hospital stays, and personal rituals, and repeatedly ties the conversation back to the broader goal of reducing suicide among gun owners and the general public. The stream ends with a call to keep tending one’s mental garden, reminding viewers that collective happiness can help prevent suicide.
Chapters
All right, so I am, uh, what am I doing? I'm doing these things. Uh, DJ, since you just commented, I did just send you the link because you have the link from last week. So I didn't actually just send you the link, but anyway, hi everybody. Uh, it is Saturday night and DJ is looking through his email right now so he can come help me from last week. Um, but since he popped on and popped in this thing already, I am going to throw that out there. All right, so hi everyone, it is Suicide Prevention Saturday. It is 9 PM Eastern for all of you everywhere else or watching the replay. I don't know what day it is or what time it is where you are because I have a hard enough time keeping track of me. Why do I do Suicide Prevention Saturday? Why are we here? Good evening, Mike White and Miss Tara Smith. And one of these days you'll have to actually call me so I can know how to pronounce that because I'm certainly not reading that. Um, what is it? Oh, Mike White 2A Advocacy. Is this a different one or just change your screen name? So, um, I did need to tell Tara something though. The mug is holding up lovely. It's been through the wash multiple times. It is dishwasher safe and nothing has faded yet. So, um, yeah, so G23, I will forgive you. I saw pictures of you in the hospital. I think I even watched some video of you unwrapping stuff while in the hospital. So I'm glad to know you are out of the hospital this week. I forgot to bring something to drink, and that was a mistake because it is dry down here. For those who don't know, I am in New England. Uh, all right, so back to the introduction. Yeah, hi. Brooke Cheney, and I'm the owner instructor here at A Great Start Shooting School. This is Suicide Prevention Saturday. Why? Because 2 out of every 3 gun deaths you hear about from the CDC are suicides. So if any of your friends really want to save lives, let them know we need to work on suicide prevention. And funny enough thing, uh, in my research, the same stuff that we need to do with mental health care to help suicide prevention happens to actually fall over into violence prevention as well. Go figure, we get a 2-for-1 on this one as far as people paying attention to actually solving problems versus blaming something that looks like this. So that's why we do this. As gun owners, we need to be educated so we can help other people understand why we know This does not cause harm. People who do bad things with these things are the people who cause harms, whether it is to themselves or someone else. Um, I don't know why is Mike correct because he said good evening and it's a good evening. I'm just gonna go with that since I can't follow the conversation and talk to you guys at the same time. All right, uh, all right, so, all right, so everybody, this is Mike White's new channel. So I guess that means we should all go over there— not right now, wait till I'm done— um, and subscribe to his new channel, because I do not think I have looked at his new channel yet. So, all right, I'm gonna hide the, the chat for right now so I can actually stay on target just a tiny bit, because you guys know I love to get in, get out, 15 minutes-ish or less, because I could talk forever, but I try not to. All right, this week, what are we talking about? This week we are talking about your garden, and specifically watering your garden. And I was actually just looking for pictures of gardens because I wanted to be all fancy, but I ran out of time because I was over on D23's channel, I think, um, watching barbecue and a bunch of other people talking about stuff. So watering your garden— what is your garden, Brooke? I don't do a garden. I'm not a green thumb kind of person. Yeah, I don't have a garden either. Well, no, I do. I have lots of gardens. However, the garden I'm talking about, because we're talking about mental health, is obviously the garden that is up here. Yes, your brain is a garden. So what does your brain look like? No, it's a gray matter of massy, gooswishy stuff. Not like that. Visually, yeah, that's what it looks like. However, if you did close your eyes for a moment and imagine the most beautiful place you've ever been, That's kind of what we want our psychological stuff to be looking like. Now, is it going to look like that all the time? No, no. You could have the most best-looking place in here, and from time to time it needs care. So whether it's watering your garden or weeding your garden, these are the things we're going to talk about today. So watering— what are good things we can put in here? First, for a moment, go ahead, close your eyes, imagine the most beautiful landscape you can think of. Now, with all 7 of us watching here today— oh, I make 8 because I can do math good— when we close our eyes and imagine what our most perfect garden looks like, willing to bet none of us have the same picture in our head. But that's okay, because it doesn't matter, because it's your garden and it's your perfection. So I was on New York Outcast channel, not his. Okay, sorry, D23. Anyway, um, see, this is why I should hide the chat. So when you see the garden that is beautiful in your brain, and even if it is a beautiful desert landscape, a fluffy jungle, a mountaintop, whatever your happy place is in your brain, how do we keep it that way? Well, first we have to acknowledge that we can close our eyes and find it. So we have to become aware. That's number one. Then once we found our garden, we have to make sure that we're putting good things into our garden. So what do we need to put in there? We need to put good thoughts, um, gatekeepers, um, nice little picket fences around, or, you know, barbed wire. You know, you choose your style for your decor of your garden, but the idea is We first become aware that we have control of what goes in here to a certain extent, because we all know we're here on the internet, so much garbage can come in from just clicking on something. I pick up my phone to make a phone call, I open my phone to make a phone call, there's a notification, there's an alert, there's something else that pops up, and I click on that thing, and maybe 10 minutes later I'm like, oh wait, wasn't I going to make a phone call? So we're not always in control of what goes in. We have to be aware of what we allow in, like I said, our little white picket fences. So something like this, Suicide Prevention Saturday, what do we do? We talk about mental health strategies, uh, we talk about some of the challenges that we have. So putting in good stuff like Dean Graziosi. Oh, actually, I can't remember. I'm not looking at the description right now, but I think I put a bunch of, um, different links to different places that you can go that give you different strategies for how to water your own garden. What else am I looking at? Ah, the number one watering can. Uh, I had Charlie Cook on here from Riding Shotgun with Charlie. And we talked about it. I'm pretty sure Mario Mose and I have also talked about it. I'm pretty sure Jake and I have also talked about it. But the best water in here is your gratitude, is to realize what you are thankful for. You are alive right now and out of the hospital, right? 1, 2, 3. But even when you're in the hospital, Aren't you glad there's people that can take care of you, right? So even in places where we don't necessarily want to be, we can put good things in. So gratitude. I know it seems like the horse that gets beaten to death all the time, but it's true. When I was a little kid, third grade, 8 years old, lived with my cousins. We would hug our trees before we would cut them down, and we would thank them for their life, because we were taking their life as we cut them down, when we would thank them for the wood and for the heat that they were going to provide our household with after we chopped them up and put them in our stove. So from a young age, I was taught the importance of gratitude and understanding how everything is connected to everything. Now, I could then, from thanking the, the tree for its warmth, right, I can thank the dirt for supporting the tree. I can thank the sun for radiation poisoning. No, I can thank the sun for helping that tree grow, right? I can be thankful for laughter, for thinking of stupid things like radiation poisoning when I'm trying to be funny. No, I'm not trying to be funny. You know, that sort of thing. Laughter. Oh my gosh. Who? Well, I don't even want to know. Those of you who hate children, you're not going to agree with me, but most of us love the sound of a laughing baby. There's just something about that. So let's see, T23, uh, is most thankful for his wife. Oh, and you know what, we were actually talking about that today. I mean, not your wife, um, but my husband and I have been together for— since 1991, maybe 1990-ish is when we met. Uh, he proposed to me in 1991. I said sure, but we have to wait till one of us gets out of college and has a job. So, um, but my husband and I have been together for a long time. We are very happy together. Like G23 and his wife, most thankful for his wife because they've been together, I'm assuming, for a while. I was talking with someone else today and they also have been together for a while and they just feel like, you know, not trying to make y'all barf here, but that soulmate connection that, yes, we're not perfect, yes, we love each other imperfectly together, and And yes, I wonder what my husband sees in me that he actually wants to stay with me. So, um, yeah. And like Mr. Ballinger here says, if you have strong roots, you can withstand the strongest storm. And this is where a, um, what do I want to say? This is where having a partner that will hold onto you and help you in the wind also helps. So you can be rooted within each other. So, all right, yep. So, um, Mike, there we go, white, he and his wife since 1982. Um, so yeah, and GT3, over 20 years. And I know Mr. Ballinger here has been with his wife for at least 18 because that's how old their son is, and I, I don't even know how much longer than that. So anyway, um, Yeah, so, and I have to wonder, so Tara's been with her wife since '01 but met in '85, and I will say, um, what I would want to say, um, that for me, when I met my husband, we were best of friends first before we got married. Um, so I'm gonna go with that's kind of like the '85 to '01, and like I said, He asked me to marry him on Christmas Eve, 1991. And I said, yes, but, and we finally got married in a house and out of school and all of that by '99. So all is good. So here we go. Watering your garden. First, you have to realize your garden is there. Second, you have to figure out what the best water is for you. For me, it's gratitude. For many people I talk to, it's gratitude. It's remembering to be happy for the little things And here is the biggest challenge. Once you figure out what goes in your watering can, remember to pick up your watering can. It is super easy to go along your day or your week or your month and realize all the stuff that sucks, because there is no end to the amount of stuff that sucks in life. Life is not easy. It is not a piece of cake. Um, you know, 'What doesn't kill you makes you stronger' is true, and we're all still standing, so nothing has killed us yet. So remembering the little things like that. Now here's the challenge, right? Watering your garden is great. Understanding you have a garden is great. Knowing what kind of water to put in your watering can, what works for you specifically, is great. The biggest challenge we have is remembering to pick up that water can when we need it. Right now I am calm. I have spent the whole day with my family and friends. We went to a steampunk thing, all dressed up, all sorts of stuff, lots of poofy everything, big hats, all sorts of stuff, people with teacups on their belts. It's all very fun. So I've had a great day. I'm here seeing, talking to you guys, and I appreciate y'all coming and spending time with me. So I've got lots to be thankful for. I I've had these conversations about how great it is to have that spouse or partner that is the one for you that makes you happy. And so it's easy for me to think about all of the things to be grateful for. Here is the challenge. When you are down in the dumps, when everything does feel like crap, uh, can't pay bills, can't put food on the table, can't work, uh, can't walk, those are the times that it's so much harder to remember to pick up the watering can to throw something in there. So when you are in that spot, you have to practice. And how do you practice when you're in the crappy spot is to make sure that you practice every day. We've had Charlie Cook on before because he does it every single day. Oh, Sorry, for those of you— 28 years is how long Mr. Ballinger and his wife have been put together. That makes sense, right? So this is why we need to do it on a daily basis. Uh, Charlie— Writing Shogun Charlie puts up his gratitude list every single day, and he did it because he saw someone else do it, and so on and so forth. So each one of us are always that drop in the pond that creates the ripple. Have I seen a gratitude list before I saw Charlie's? Yes, of course I've seen it. Have I done gratitude lists? Yes, I have. Have I been consistent with it? No. However, what do I do? I still start over. I still try to do it again. Imperfect action beats perfection every time. So the sooner you can every day remember at least one thing, Maybe when you get up in the morning, maybe when you— before you go to bed, one thing that you're grateful for, and then build on that. Because this is the fun thing about watering and taking care of stuff. The more you do it, the better you get at it. So I've got a great day. I'm thankful for you guys. I'm thankful for my family. I'm thankful my friends I got to hang out with today. I'm thankful for a ton of stuff, and Today is easy to be grateful. Now tomorrow, it should be a good day too, but I have to remember to be grateful and pay attention to what goes in the garden. Because if it's a crap day, if I wake up, stub my toe, uh, like my kid on Christmas Eve a couple years ago, you know, slice my finger off with— top of my finger off with a peeler, have to go to the ER for the day— is my day great? Maybe, maybe not. Am I going to meet some really cool people in the ER? Maybe Maybe, maybe not. So the idea is the more you practice, the more you pay attention to the things that water your garden and make you remember. Um, because I know I saw this already, but like, um, I can't find where it is, but I know DJ said something about like his— one of his favorite places is Fiji, and Fiji is a beautiful place. Um, so Yes, there we go. Thank you, DJ. Yeah, remember you have a garden. Where is it? What is it even, right? What does your perfect garden look like? Your serene, happy place. Now I know some of us, it's going to be like a beautiful beach. Other people, that desert landscape. Other people, a bunker surrounded by 5,000 guns. So we— your garden can be whatever you want it to be. Remember to water it. Remember what kind of water helps you. For me, like I've said, for me, I know for a fact that listening to music helps me amazingly, but just remembering to be gratitude. So watering with gratitude. And don't forget to pick up your watering can and try to do that every day. Okay, that is it. Um, All right, so Tara's letting me know, pink boombox playing Duran Duran, Beastie Boys tape in it. She told me I got in trouble. She told on you. Yeah, so that's one way. It is funny how adversaries sometimes become the best of friends. And, um, let's see. All right, wait, when you climb the tree of life, stay off the weak branches and you'll make it to the top. Yeah, or make sure that you've got your hands held on to other branches besides the weakest. 'Cause sometimes you don't know a branch is weak until you step on it. Oh, okay. I'm sorry. So Tara Smith was in an accident. Oh, sweetie. I don't remember how long ago it was now, but really bad. And she wrecked her bike and she did 100 miles today. And that's really a big deal. And she should be thankful for it because after her accident, it made her very uncomfortable. To hop on that particular bike. Yeah, don't bite the bike, that'd be horrible. Yeah, and Fiona dropping more stuff. So the things we say here is what comes out. So if I constantly say, I'm having a crappy day, I'm having a crappy day, I'm having a crappy day, notice how just saying that changes how I'm talking, right? When I say, wow, life is good, I can't lie to them. I mean, we can lie to ourselves, but we can really make a difference with the words we use. Now, if we remember to put them in here and they have to come out here, yay for us. Like, I am grateful. I am grateful. Um, and yes, I, I like people in the ER. They have good drugs. We like ER people. Um, no, not really. I mean, I prefer not to be in the ER, but it's, it's It's not the worst place in the world that I've ever been. All right. Oh wait, G3, it's a bunker with 5,000 guns. Oh, bunker on the beach. Okay. So yes, like I said, everyone's going to have their unique garden and what it's going to look like. So, um, that is kind of that for tonight. So I didn't want to stay on here forever and a day, but here's the deal. I'm going to tell you, just be grateful. Dang it, you have something to be grateful for. At the very least, you can be thankful for your internet connection that's working so you can listen to me babble on about how important watering your garden is, right? There's one thing. Breathing. You know, you've heard me say this a million times before, but that in and out, the amount of crazy miraculous things that are happening to keep you alive right now so you can hear me, you are not brain dead. Let's be thankful for that. So with that, I'm thankful you're not brain dead. I'm thankful I'm not brain dead. And I thank you all for tuning in. And I think I have to get back to interviewing people because I was just talking to G-Webs and I kind of missed that. I did it for a while, got a little stressed over setting up guests and whatnot. So I will do what I can All right, my friend Dana, who's one of the cool people I got to hang out with today at the steampunk— it's called the Stupid Cupid Ball, if you'd like to look it up. So she's not brain dead, but her typing fingers are not working as well. So, oh yeah, so I will let Miss Nadia know that you are asking how she was, is, whatever. She also got dressed up and was wearing a lovely pirate's hat and all sorts of stuff today, so she also had a really good day today. And what did she get? We got soap and candles because there are all sorts of vendors there. So yes, the Nadia is fine and happy. And dude, I've emailed you actually like 5 times. I said we need to chat because there are specific things I want to chat with you about. So we have— yeah, you— I know you have been invited and I have responded to you, so you have to respond back. And anyway, so yes, I will get to more interviews and that sort of thing. All right, so thank you all for stopping in. Water your garden, remember you have a garden, take care of your garden, and everyone else around you will be happier when you are happier. All right, and we can help more people the happier we are. With that, I shall say adieu and goodbye and adios and oh, oh, and hello and goodbye to Miss Carrie Anne. We were talking about you today. Were your ears burning? You'll have to call me after the show. Anyway, good night all. Have a lovely rest of your weekend. I will see you next week, and I have no idea I'm gonna post up soon, but it will be announced. All right, good night everybody.
