Our week in Selma started with a man threatening to jump from the Edmund Pettus Bridge on Labor Day. The workweek ended with a published story on Friday about Mattie Rogers, a Selma resident who is 105.

What a contrast. It could be said that such contrast is typical for our city. Selma can offer the negative in bold ways. It can also show a gentle and positive side that keeps this town together and moving forward.

The man who threatened to jump from the bridge could learn a lot from Rogers. She seems like someone who deals with life gracefully.

Rogers is 105. Her life hasn’t been perfect, but it appears her life has been good and certainly long. Born in Marengo County, Rogers’ parents died before she was 12 and she never married. Yet she worked as a nanny and was a part of two families.

She is known as someone who has taken care of those in need.

Those of us looking to live a full and productive life can learn much from Rogers. She seems like the type who seeks out happiness and opportunity instead of letting it find her.

That is really the key to life. Eating bran cereal, fruits, and running daily may make you live longer, but keeping a positive mental outlook is more important.

Too often we focus on what we can gain by taking a pill or buying a nutritional

supplement. The best food for the body and mind is accomplishment and the feeling that comes from helping others.

It is hoped the man who climbed on that bridge Monday morning and looked down at a dark and deep river can find the happiness and inspiration that drives Rogers.

When the man stepped off that bridge to safety he made the decision to live. That was his first step toward finding a better life, and hopefully and a long and full life.