Beat Depression by Jeffrey Sparr **
You’re a frigging protozoan sitting there. You’re fixing to drown.* In the catacombs of early Christian art, the Jonah story lingers, pointing to an extensive oral history of dramatic tellings and retellings. You start reaching pain levels you didn’t think were there. Heaviness descending over you. It sits on you. The whale crudely drawn on catacomb walls, Jonah allegorically seen as Christ, at first, then the Christian believer, delivered from death. Perfect for all the dead lying buried around. I put black trash bags over the windows. I sealed the edges with tape. My mind became dark; and then darker; and then darker still. The belly of the whale might also symbolize any extended period of darkness or despair. For Cliff Richey, the belly of the whale has a contemporary name: clinical depression. (I would write a hymn to Zoloft here, but Cliff Richey does it better.) To battle depression, Richey suggests we analyze all our own strengths and weaknesses and never stop fighting, never give in. Good advice for any tennis player! For Cliff and Nancy Richey, arguably the greatest brother-sister duo in the history of tennis, “winning was the be-all and the end-all. It was our life, our business, our religion.” While such a laser-like focus on winning might help one beat depression, it might also, at least for many world-class athletes, lead to some form of depression later in life. Depression, of course, is a complex topic. It is just as likely, or more likely, that this or that chemical imbalance, however it came about, is the culprit that buries so many in despair and darkness. How many might be partially cured when they share their story, as Cliff Richey has courageously done, as a kind of guidebook to help others cure themselves? How many more are cured when life becomes not so much winning and losing but helping and supporting others? Good question for any tennis player! Some might say that’s when God saves anyone from the belly of the whale.
* A three-time grand slam semifinalist in singles, Cliff Richey was a top American tennis player for many years, reaching a career high of #6 in the world in 1970. His sister, Nancy Richey, won the first French Open singles Championship in 1968 and is a member of the International Tennis Hall of Fame. The words in Italics and quotes are all from Cliff Richey’s Acing Depression: A Tennis Champion’s Toughest Match, published by New Chapter Press. Our gratitude to Cliff Richey for sharing his private struggles in such a public way. He has helped many in their own battles with depression. We will never know their numbers.
Artist, Jeffrey Sparr
** About the Artist (taken from JeffreySparr.com)
A mental health advocate and self-taught artist, Jeffrey Sparr was a four-year starter and team captain on the Ohio State University tennis team. When he graduated in 1985, he was the 3rd winningest player in Ohio State History. Diagnosed with Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD) in college, Jeff battled with this disease for many years before discovering, on a whim, that painting dramatically subdued the symptoms of his OCD, providing a creative outlet and sense of control. Sparr has been crowned the "Forrest Gump" of painting: Forrest didn't stop running, Sparr hasn't stopped painting. This discovery changed the course of Jeff’s life. Ever since then, Jeff has been on a mission to help others through the arts, founding, along with his cousin, the nonprofit organization PeaceLove. You can learn more about Jeff Sparr’s art and work as a mental health advocate on his website.
About PeaceLove (from the PeaceLove website)
PeaceLove helps create peace of mind. Through expressive arts programs and storytelling, they empower individuals and communities to share their mental health stories and discover new tools for mental wellness. Their CREATORS Program equips frontline professionals to deliver ongoing expressive arts workshops to their diverse communities. CREATORS work directly with individuals, families and groups to help them achieve improved mental health through creativity. You can learn more about the great work PeaceLove does with its many partners on their website.
If you wish to make any comments on “Cliff Richey and the Belly of the Whale,” feel free to leave them below or contact me. If you wish to see more artwork on tennis, you can follow Tennis Players as Works of Art on Instagram or on Facebook. My other innovative short writings on tennis, along with free audio recordings to download, are available on my website.