Transformation

As I am preparing to be the guest speaker at the 2020 Hyannis Marathon Weekend Pre-Race Pasta Dinner, I am enjoying taking a look back over my 13 year journey from the effects of childhood paralytic polio and trauma. In December of 2006, I received the diagnosis of Post-Polio Syndrome and told to prepare to spend the rest of my life in a wheelchair. I decided I was not going to take the diagnosis sitting down. I surrendered to the Divine for guidance and discovered the gift of poetry in my soul. My first poem, "Running the Race" foreshadowed my 2009 Boston Marathon run and unleashed my imagination through the power of my pen to set me on a path of transformation.

At the time I was walking my path unaware that I was on a journey of transformation that would inspire others with a powerful message of healing, hope and possibility.

After I declared that I would run the 2009 Boston Marathon in February of 2008, I had unwavering faith that I would accomplish my goal. The sport of running whittled away at my brittle exterior of having been a stranger to athletics, lugging around my body through life as once I lugged around an ankle to hip leg brace, until the person I was always meant to be emerged. I left more and more of my past behind with every mile I ran and every finish line I crossed.

This Channel 7 News Piece encapsulates my journey of transformation:



From "Feel the Heal: An Anthology of Poems to Heal Your Life":
"We can either watch life from the sidelines, or actively participate. Either we let self-doubt and feelings of inadequacy prevent us from realizing our potential, or embrace the fact that when we turn our attention away from ourselves, our potential is limitless." ~Christopher Reeve

"Our running shoes are really erasers. Every step erases some past failure. Every mile brings us closer to a clean slate. Each foot strike rubs away a word, a look, or an event which led us to believe that success was beyond our grasp." ~John Bingham


The Thoroughbred

A dark horse
dark past
finishing last
ready to quit
battered and bruised
a foal fouled
yet Spirit unbroken
a thoroughbred deep inside
despite appearances
all she needed was a chance
someone to believe in her
a horse whisperer
in the mist
amidst fog and foliage
she runs
breaking free
transformed
into the champion she was always meant to be.

May you find the champion within you and find the strength and courage to experience transformation when you find yourself at a crossroads in your life.

May my story inspire you to know what's possible despite any appearances to the contrary.

From my heart to yours
In health and wellness
Mary

Be sure to visit my website at www.marymcmanus.com

Be inspired by my interview with Kendra Petrone on the award winning Exceptional Women Show by following this link

To experience an epic race weekend and hear me share my journey from a wheelchair to the finish line of the 2009 Boston Marathon and beyond come to the Hyannis Marathon Weekend February 21-23 2020.