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Our Southern Souls: Caring for something other than myself took my mind off my problems

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our southern souls Brean
Brean (Our Southern Souls)

The following was republished with permission from oursouthernsouls.com. Read the original article here.

“I have been coming out here every morning for five years. It started when I was quite ill. I came up from the country to see the doctors in Dublin. I never married or had kids, so I had nobody with me. The doctors wanted to amputate my leg, but I was against it. What was my future? I started coming to this park to console myself. One morning, a blue heron landed beside me. I said, ‘You are in as bad a shape as me’ and bought him a tin of sardines. I went to bed that night and felt better knowing that at least I did something positive that day. I returned the next morning, and the heron landed beside me, like he was asking for his breakfast. I kept feeding and talking to him, and he waited for me every morning. I walked to the park twice a day to care for him and the ducks. Caring for something other than myself took my mind off my problems, and I started walking and exercising. Over time, my leg got better. I’ve already walked about six miles this morning. I also feed the birds at another park.

My father died when I was four years old, and I started working when I was 12. I had a career as a messenger for an engineering firm, and I was always on the road with little time for anything else. Caring for these birds and talking with the people I meet in the park gives me purpose.

My name is Brean. It’s the Gaelic form of Brian.”

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