“I’ve been finding what’s going on in Ukraine deeply distrurbing, worrying and depressing. That final word is not one many who know me would probably associate with me. But, just because I’ve a doctorate in psychology and write material all the time about positive psychology, wellness and mental health, doesn’t mean I’m impervious to outside stressors which, like everyone, touch me from time to time. We all get ‘down’. We all feel burdened. We all need support in our lives. Every. One. Of. Us. Qualifications are just that. They are not lived life. That, my friends, is the beauty of the human condition and that is why we are social creatures.
Following on from a post I created this morning, I called the Ukrainian Embassy to wish them well (something every single one of us could do!) and then packed a few boxes of clothes and health products I think will be useful and these will go to the Polish shop in Merlin who are organising logistics to Poland and Ukraine.
Then, back up to my office and to the hum drum of professional editing and ghostwriting life as I dove into several chapter contributions to Mental Health For Millennials Volume 6, ironically on the themes of inclusion and hope. And as I carefully read some of the material, a paragraph from Giselle Marrinan jumped out at me. No. It screamed at me. It recounts her reaction to a beautiful song and then a story – and it’s worth posting here. So, thank you Giselle for making this first day of Spring that little bit brighter. “The operation went perfectly, your heart has been repaired, now tell your heart to beat again.”
“A few years ago, I heard this marvellous song, “Tell Your Heart to Beat Again” which touched me deeply. Then in the last year, I heard the powerful story behind it. Apparently, a pastor in Ohio approached a heart surgeon in his parish and told him that he had always wanted to see a heart procedure for real. The surgeon invited him to an open-heart surgery as an observer from the viewing gallery. The operation went perfectly. They split open the woman’s sternum, removed the heart and before placing it back in her chest cavity, restarted it. For some reason the woman flatlined and all around the theatre thought she had died. Then the surgeon knelt down beside his patient and whispered something in her ear. At that moment the heart started beating again. The pastor asked the surgeon what he had whispered into the woman’s ear, and this is what he said , “Mrs. Johnson, this is your surgeon. The operation went perfectly, your heart has been repaired, now tell your heart to beat again.”
So, if the Spring sunshine doesn’t life your soul this afternoon, hopefully the above words will bring you…hope…”
– Dr. Niall MacGiolla Bhuí, Senior Clinic Consultant.
