Where running takes me...

Like many people these days, there are some nights where sleep comes slowly and can be interrupted by weird dreams. We are so blessed and fortunate to have had minimal disruption to our lives compared to so many but still the stress is there. I've done a lot of healing from the effects of enduring childhood trauma, but there have been triggers during the limitations and rules for the pandemic. I use this time as an opportunity to heal the wounds that get reopened and feel deeply grateful for the gift of running in my life.

Friday night was an intense night for me. I had trouble falling asleep and the trauma dreams were particularly intense. When I woke up yesterday morning, the thought of going on a run drew me out of bed after my morning meditation. I knew it was exactly what mind, body and soul needed although my body might have said otherwise if I would have listened to its grumblings.

It was a gorgeous warm late Spring day with puffy clouds set against a brilliant blue sky. We had frozen water bottles at the ready that sweat on the table while we got ready for our run.

We stretched and took deep breaths while we strapped on our water belts.

I set the mileage on my Nike+ to ensure I would go over 40 miles for the month of May.

Tom and Ruth Anne were going to do their 6 mile run in preparation for the Virtual Falmouth Road Race and Cape Cod Half Marathon but wanted to run with me to celebrate my going over 40 miles for the third consecutive month.

I welcomed the company!

We chatted about the gift of running in our lives. We dearly miss running with our friends and activities with L Street Running Club as well as the joy of gathering for races. I just finished John Bingham's book, "The Courage to Start." He talked about the camaraderie and socialization that happens when runners get together. He talks about old friends we've yet to meet. But he also talks about the power of running to transform one's life as does George Sheehan in his book, "The Essential George Sheehan."

Running has taken me to Bermuda, Boston, Cape Cod, and Maine to many starting lines. These days running takes me out of my head and into my heart and soul. My two feet take me out into the beauty of Springtime and into the magnificence of water, swans, turkeys, geese and their babies and the mystery and awe of leaves returning to once barren trees.

Running takes me to feeling fully alive as my heart beats faster and sweat pours from every pore. Running cleanses me of the past.



My heart overflows with gratitude as I run fully aware of the miracle that happened healing the effects of paralytic polio and trauma that once ravaged my mind, body and soul.

Running is a wonderful time to unplug and be with Tom and Ruth Anne savoring the sights, sounds and scents of a beautiful day. We appreciate how far Ruth Anne has come on her healing journey from the effects of PANDAS.

Running took me out of the residue of a poor night's sleep and past trauma into the gift of the present moment on a sensational late Spring day. There may be no races to travel to these days yet running takes me wherever I need to go on any given day to feel uplifted and to be in a state of well being after the miles are run.



To learn more about my health and wellness journey, please visit my website at www.marymcmanus

My books are available on Amazon

To any of you runners out there..where does running take you?

From my heart to yours
In health and wellness
Mary

How Your Mind Can Heal Your Body

During these times of when we are bombarded with messages of fear about "getting sick", I want to share with you my experiences of the body's tremendous capacity to heal after dis-ease or injury and its wonderful capacity for wellness and well being when we create a nourishing environment for mind, body and soul.

I stood before the audience at the Hyannis Resort and Conference Ballroom at the Hyannis Marathon Weekend Pre-Race Pasta Dinner.


I began my talk with, "Do you know that the subconscious mind can’t tell the difference between something you imagine and something you actually experience?" I went on to suggest that everyone imagine taking a bite of lemon from a lemon slice that might be in their drink. I saw everyone scrunch their face and purse their lips. I felt my own salivary glands fire up.

I was blessed to connect with David R. Hamilton, Ph.D. on social media after watching the Heal Documentary. He put out a call for stories for people who healed harnessing the power of visualization. My story was one that was chosen for inclusion in his 10th Anniversary Edition of his best selling book, "How Your Mind Can Heal Your Body."


The title of my story is "My Master Electrician." I share how, after the diagnosis of Post-Polio Syndrome in December of 2006, I discovered the gift of poetry in my soul. Poems poured out of me in which I imagined myself healthy, whole and running...yes running free even though I was told to prepare to spend the rest of my life in a wheelchair and a whole host of other "predictions" for what would happen to me as I aged! I had never run a day in my life and used a toe up leg brace, a cane and at times a wheelchair for mobility.


When I wrote poetry I literally felt no pain despite having endured chronic pain for decades. I meditated several times a day visualizing healing of my neuromuscular connections from having contracted paralytic polio at the age of 5 allowing my master electrician...God, the Divine, Source, Creator of all Things...to guide me in the process of rewiring my entire nervous system. I imagined the breaches that occurred from polio and enduring trauma at the hands of family members completely healed. Little did I know at the time that these thoughts were actually creating chemical changes in my body that created healing.

A New Lease on Life

Rented space
rendered apart
plundered
what God has wrought
let no man put asunder.

Old wallpaper stripped
plumbing purged
once a trickle now flows
flickering lamps rewired
no longer dim
light bathes this old house.

Owner occupied
she smiles
sitting on the porch swing
butterflies dance

In a moment of unbridled joy
barefoot and free

they become One.

Before the diagnosis of Post Polio Syndrome, I was aware of the power of the mind/body connection through Bernie Siegel, MD. He is one of the pioneers in the field of mind/body medicine. A nurse introduced me to his work in the 1980's when I was hospitalized for a bone infection in my shoulder.

Bernie shared the story of Evy McDonald in his book "Love, Medicine and Miracles." She was a polio survivor who was diagnosed with ALS as an adult. She watched her body whither away like a bowl of jello as she sat in a wheelchair until she decided she was not going to die hating herself and her body. She sat in front of a mirror without clothetos and began to love her body just as it was in its withered state. She healed her heart and the body, receiving a love message, healed. Today she is a minister leading a full life inspiring others with the healing power of love. She inspired me to go on a quest to heal my life following the wisdom of Bernie and many other mind/body luminaries. I went on to run the 2009 Boston Marathon!



After a serious knee injury in December of 2014, I redoubled my efforts to heal from the effects of paralytic polio and trauma. A chiropractor introduced me to the work of Dr. Joe Dispenza and the movie, "What the bleep do we know...." We used KT tape to grow a new gastroc muscle, chiropractic care and he designed a new strength training program for me so I could get back to the sport that became my therapy and my new lifestyle of health and well being. Despite the warnings from the medical community that I needed to have a re-evaluation for the "progression" of Post Polio Syndrome that was surely going to happen from the Post Polio Clinic Team and needed to stop running, I went on to run 3 consecutive Bermuda Half Marathons in 2016, 2017 and 2018.

In Dr. Joe's book, "You Are the Placebo," he cites numerous examples of how the mind can heal the body and how it can also create dis-ease. He cites an example of a gentleman who was told that he had terminal cancer. He died when the doctors told him he should expect to die and on autopsy had absolutely no cancer anywhere in his body. That is the power of suggestion and how we can harness the power of the mind for creating healing and well being as easily as believing there is dis-ease and having our bodies biochemically respond to those messages. Dr. Candace Pert wrote two books, "The Molecules of Emotion" and "Everything you need to know to feel Go(o)d" that underscore the power of the mind/body connection from a scientist's perspective.

Dr. David Hamilton was a scientist in the pharmaceutical industry who became fascinated with the placebo effect. He left his career in the pharmaceutical industry and has published 10 books to date using science to inspire us to become our highest and best selves and have a
positive influence in the world around us.

There are many luminaries who are contributing to the body of knowledge that gives a wider holistic perspective to what is being reported in the mass media.

I could have easily followed the advice of the medical community who warned me that if you use it you will lose it and prepared to spend the rest of my life in a wheelchair experiencing a rapid decline as I aged.

Instead, I got still and asked for Divine Guidance, following the promptings of my heart and soul and created a miracle of healing harnessing the power of my mind.

To learn more about my healing journey and explore resources for healing, visit my website at www.marymcmanus.com

My books are available on Amazon

From my heart to yours
In health and wellness,
Mary

Sailing Through the Fog

During the early phase of my recovery from Post Polio Syndrome, I wrote a poem called "Sailing Through The Fog":
Sailing Through the Fog

Fog horn sounding loud and clear
I slowly make my way
sailing through the pea soup fog
across Nantucket Bay.

Ocean dark I used to fear
I feel my fear transform
the arms of God embrace me
trust and faith are now my norm.

Ride the tide of intuition
safe harbor shall I find
by being still and listening
attentive to my mind.

In the middle of the ocean
no land, no sun or sky
feel only love surround me
no need to shake or cry.

My faith is now my anchor
sail tethered to my Source
guided by the angels
I can safely chart my course.

Knowing when to take a turn
to steer to stern or port
instinctive navigation
I'll never come up short!

The freedom in the silence
waves lap the only sound
a comfort in my solitude
no other soul around.

Yet in the fog I sense them
other souls who once did live
the souls who went before me
love and knowledge did they give.

This journey is the answer
allow my soul to grow
the destination's not important
it's being in the flow.

Love and peace they are the beacon
to safe harbor will they lead
when I set my foot again on land
my soul has now been freed!

I wrote it after we took a trip on the ferry to Martha's Vineyard. When we left Falmouth, the sun was shining and it was 70 degrees. All of a sudden, fog moved in and surrounded the ferry. The speed of the ferry slowed down to almost a crawl and it sounded the fog horn every few minutes while we made our way to Martha's Vineyard. It was at once terrifying and exhilarating.

I still have the sweatshirt I bought on Martha's Vineyard because there was a chill in the air that accompanied the fog and mist. It is one of my treasured souvenirs.

Many have said that they feel as though they have been in a fog during these past 10 weeks. All of our usual time markers evaporated and time feels as though it has stood still.

We decided to take a drive after dinner the other evening. When we pulled into a parking spot at Jamaica Pond, here is the scene that unfolded before us:


You could feel the sense of awe people were experiencing watching the fog move in.

We breathed in the moist warm air and stood quietly taking in the scene before us.

As we drove home, we saw a spectacular sunset in the distance.

Tom hit the accelerator and we made it in time to the Cleveland Circle Reservoir where our breath caught:


We are sailing through this fog of the pandemic with strength, courage, faith, resilience, grace, determination and Love. To sail through these times of uncertainty, it is vital that I make choices that are right for me and our family.

I lived in fear for my life for many many years growing up in a home with an alcoholic father, a drug addicted mother and being sent to my abusive grandmother's house on weekends. After the diagnosis of Post Polio Syndrome, I immersed myself in healing by harnessing the power of my imagination and the mind/body connection. Fear and stress weaken the immune system and so I give myself daily doses of exercise, sunshine, meditation, gratitude and nourishing myself with wisdom that resonates deep in my soul. While I am mindful about the guidelines being provided, I focus on supporting our health rather than experiencing fear that I have to take steps to avoid "getting it."

I have hidden more posts, unfollowed more people and even blocked some people because of the divisiveness and fear that prevailed on Facebook.

As we sail through this fog I am certain that we can harness the power of Faith and Love. The fog disperses and as we experience an awakening, a spectacular sunset, a covenant of hope is revealed.

Be sure to visit my website at www.marymcmanus.com to learn more about my epic journey from the diagnosis of Post Polio Syndrome to the finish line of the 2009 Boston Marathon and beyond!

My books are available on Amazon.

From my heart to yours
In health and wellness
Mary

A Celebration of Healing: You Must Give Up the Life You Planned...

Yesterday marked my 13th leap-of-faith-iversary. On May 25, 2007, I took a leap of faith leaving behind my award winning career as a VA social worker to heal my life. In December of 2006, I was diagnosed with Post Polio Syndrome, a progressive neuromuscular disease. I was told to prepare to spend the rest of my life in a wheelchair possibly needing a feeding tube. I was told to expect an accelerated decline in functioning as I aged.

How does any runner mark a milestone? With a celebratory run! Tom usually has to work on Mondays so it's just Ruth Anne and me on a Monday run, but because it was Memorial Day, Tom was able to join us.

I felt the excitement in my soul as I began the day as I begin every day with meditation reflecting on the miracle of healing in my life. I reflected on the blessings, the synchronicity, the courage, the resilience, the determination and gave thanks for all the healers who crossed my path.

I reflected on my adventures as runnergirl 1953 and all the friends I might not have ever met if I didn't take that leap of faith and find my way to the sport of running.

We ate breakfast, put on our water belts and headed out the door on a cool, cloudy morning.

Ruth Anne was struggling a bit emotionally as the pandemic caused quite a disruption in her healing journey with PANDAS and we came up with ideas for mood boosters. Once the endorphins kicked in after about a mile, we were all feeling the healing and the joy of celebration.

Ruth Anne and I each had plans for our lives. I was going to retire from the VA at the age of 55 and work at Bloomingdale's. Yup that was my plan; to be a part of "beauty" and be in contact with the "upper class" after all the years of being of service to veterans and their families. Nothing is farther from the truth of who I am but I was feeling burned out and was reaching for something very different from what I had done for 25 years as a dedicated social worker.

Ruth Anne received her Bachelor's Degree from Middle Tennessee State University. Her professors adored her and she had many job offers but wasn't feeling well and decided to return home to Boston.

After four years we finally found the missing puzzle piece of her health issues and she is now poised and ready to discover the life she is meant to live.

After I took my leap of faith, I was focused on writing poetry and nurturing the creative side of me that lay dormant because I lived in survival mode for so many years. Writing poetry opened the portal to healing and led me to the sport of running.

Through running, I found myself and discovered who I was always meant to be on the road to the 2009 Boston Marathon.



There were not many people out as we approached the Cleveland Circle Reservoir and were treated to still waters and beautiful swans.



We reminisced about how Ruth Anne was instrumental in encouraging me to choose a date to leave the VA and circled it on our family calendar. I recalled with tenderness and love how she accompanied me to appointments at brace clinic, Speech and Language Pathologist, Occupational Therapy and Physical Therapy. She was my advocate with Tom and her brother to emphasize with them how serious my condition was at the time. I didn't think that I would now be in that role for her as she recovers from brain inflammation but so deeply grateful for the love and strength of our family.



We chatted about how, although races were cancelled and we won't be taking race-cations this summer, there is so much celebration of healing and gratitude to experience together.

It's a blessing that I can share a message of healing, hope and possibilities and inspire others (including Ruth Anne) with what is possible.

I enjoy life now more than I ever have although I do cherish the work I did while I was at the VA proudly serving those who served.

Such a blessed and beautiful way to celebrate my thirteenth leap-of-faith-iversary running side by side with those who loved and supported me every step of my healing odyssey.

To learn more about my journey be sure to visit my website at www.marymcmanus.com

My books are available on Amazon

From my heart to yours
In health and wellness
Mary

Thirteen Years Later: Sail Away From Safe Harbor

May 25, 2007 -- I began my tenure on December 5, 1988. I was hired as the Visual Impairment Services Team Coordinator. I received a Certificate of Appreciation from the Blinded Veterans Association after I was reassigned to give my job to a member of the all male management team despite my outstanding performance in that role. I contemplated leaving the VA but I knew in my heart I belonged serving those who served until it was time for me to heal my life from the effects of paralytic polio and trauma. It was a beautiful summer's day kicking off Memorial Day Weekend in Boston. Instead of heading into Boston as I had done for the past almost 20 years, I drove to the Jamaica Plain VA Campus. I parked in a handicapped space grabbing my cane, wearing my toe up leg brace as I carried a piece of paper that each person had to initial to ensure a proper exit from the VA. I saw many familiar faces as I walked the halls for the last time as an employee. There were hugs, tears and joy that I was going to take care of myself.

After the final stop at personnel, I turned in my ID badge, took a deep breath, and headed out into the sunshine. I sat in my yard clutching my manuscript for "New World Greeting Cards: Inspirational Poetry and Musings for a New World" and editing it. I was preparing it for publication with PublishAmerica. I was in awe of the synchronicity that was happening in my life as I learned about the world of getting a book published and connecting with people who were inspired by my journey.

Many thought I was crazy to leave the security of my career and salary to follow my bliss as a poet author and and to heal my life. Two quotes that stayed with me during those initial days and weeks of retirement were:


and



I was able to transform and transcend my past during these past 13 years.

I have had adventures through the sport of running and made friends that I probably would not have met had I not found the courage to take that leap of faith.

I carry many fond memories of my veterans and their families in my heart and am blessed to be in contact with some of them through social media. I've reconnected with some of my colleagues who continue to serve those who serve and those who have retired after me.

Thirteen years ago I found the courage and strength to sail away from safe harbor with the unconditional love and support from my family.

I have been blessed to explore different life after the VA iterations, dream about running the Boston Marathon and crossing the finish line on April 20, 2009 and discover who I am and who I was always meant to be. I've been blessed to share my journey in books, magazines, in radio interviews and as a motivational speaker. I've been able to touch, bless and help people heal their lives in new ways after leaving my social work career.



Sail on and dream on dear friends!

Take a risk and find yourself land in the middle of the most wondrous adventures.

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

My books are available on Amazon to uplift and inspire you.

From my heart to yours
In health and wellness
Mary

A Source of Inspiration

Inspiration is a feeling of enthusiasm you get from someone or something, that gives you new and creative ideas. ... If you describe someone or something good as an inspiration, you mean that they make you or other people want to do or achieve something.

May 23, 2007: I knew my decision to take a leap of faith and leave behind my award winning career as a VA social worker after the diagnosis of Post Polio Syndrome in December of 2006 to heal my life would inspire others. I sat in my bare office on the second floor of the VA outpatient clinic at 251 Causeway Street knowing that in two days I would be heading to the Jamaica Plain Campus to go through the clearing out process and walk into my new life. I did not know what that new life would look like but I did know that the symptoms of the "progressive neuromuscular disease" I had been diagnosed with were beginning to improve. I felt relief knowing I would not have to get up at 5:30 am every day, commute into Boston every day and work a full day providing social work intervention to veterans and their families and provide support to members of my multidiscplinary team. While I loved caring for veterans and their families, I knew it was time for me to take care of myself and heal my life.

As I sat there during those final hours of my award winning social work career, I fancied myself a soon to be bestselling author who was on talk shows, speaking to groups and of course being on Oprah. I wrote poetry and imagined my prosperous new business, "New World Greeting Cards - Original Poetry for Every Occasion".

Fast forward to May 23, 2014 - The Book Release Party for "Coming Home: A Memoir of Healing, Hope and Possibility":


Coming Home became the first book in my Trilogy of Transformation after I finished "The Adventures of Runnergirl 1953" last year. I could not possibly see the whole staircase of my life unfolding before me but I did take that first step of faith by leaving my career.



Book Release Party
May 23, 2014 at Marathon Sports (Brookline, MA)

"Wait, I have one more goal," Mary McManus told her personal trainer in February of 2008 shortly after coming out of her toe up leg brace. "I want to run the Boston Marathon for Spaulding Rehab Hospital." Mary traded in her polio shoes for running shoes and embarked on the journey of a lifetime. Mary McManus was at the height of her career as a VA social worker when she was told by her team at Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital’s International Rehab Center for Polio in December of 2006 that she needed to quit her job if she had any hope of preventing the progression of post polio syndrome, a progressive neuromuscular disease. In “Coming Home: A Memoir of Healing, Hope and Possibility” Mary takes you on her seven year healing odyssey as a survivor of paralytic polio and trauma from her diagnosis, to taking a leap of faith to leave her award winning career at the VA to heal her life and follow her passion as a poet and writer. You’ll experience her trials, tribulations and triumphs as she trains for and crosses the finish line of the 2009 Boston Marathon and discovers the opportunity for healing in the wake of new trauma: the suicide of her nephew in 2011, and the aftermath of the 2013 Boston Marathon bombings. This is Mary's journey of coming home to her human form free from the influences of the ghastly ghostly invaders who had invaded her sacred earthly home. Her memoir includes journals and blog posts from her seven year healing odyssey. This is her journey of transformation and her message of healing, hope and possibility.



While I have not been on Oprah nor have I become a NY Times Bestselling Author - yet - I have been blessed to touch and inspire the lives of others through my journey. I have spoken to groups sharing my message of healing, hope and possibility and how, despite seemingly impossible circumstances, I crossed the finish line of the 2009 Boston Marathon:


I've been a guest on radio shows and my story has been featured in best selling author David R. Hamilton, Ph.D.'s book, 'How Your Mind Can Heal Your Body.'


I share my journey in this blog and continue to write the inspiring chapters of my life.

My Source for inspiration came on a cold dark day in February of 2007 as I took a deep breath, got still and asked for Divine Guidance.

I started writing poetry which harnessed the power of my imagination to heal my life and create a vision for my future.

That Source of inspiration enabled me to become a source of inspiration for others.

Be sure to visit my website at www.marymcmanus.com to learn more about my healing journey and for healing resources that may be a source of inspiration for you or someone you love.

My books are available on Amazon.

From my heart to yours
In health and wellness,
Mary

Flashback Friday: Meeting Two Running Greats

Although I had written the poem, "Running the Race" as I sat in a toe up leg brace using a cane and at times a wheelchair for mobility, my thoughts on May 22, 2007 were about taking a leap of faith from my award winning career as a VA social worker just 3 years shy of when I would be eligible for retirement. I imagined being a bestselling author and sharing my journey from social worker to author/poet on Oprah to inspire others to follow their bliss and not wait for a crisis to happen in their lives.



I watched the Boston Marathon living not far from the race course many many times and knew about Bill Rodgers. I came to Boston in 1971 to attend Boston University and I never returned to Westchester, New York that was fraught with traumatic memories from abuse from family members and paralytic polio. I was intrigued by the sport. I remembered getting sunburned one unseasonably warm April day as we cheered on the runners at the top of Heartbreak Hill.

I had reconstructive leg surgery one April and people at the VA teased me asking if I were going to run the Boston Marathon. I quipped back, "Not this year."

Be careful what you wish for....

Less than two years after that leap of faith, I found myself sitting in a ballroom at the Hyannis Resort and Conference Center listening to Frank Shorter and Bill Rodgers...two running greats!



I thought that the poster they signed for me was long gone. With all the decluttering we've been doing, it must have fallen out of a top shelf in our linen closet. The other day it seemed to "magically appear" on the closet floor:


From "The Adventures of Runnergirl 1953":
We signed up for the pre-race Pasta Dinner where I introduced myself to Race Director, Paul Collyer. I emailed him before we registered for the race to make sure it was an all paces race. He assured me and then reassured me that I would be fine as long as I finished before the last marathoner crossed the finish line. The marathon consisted of two loops and he used the same finish line for both races. He was happy to meet me and wished me well on my race.

The ballroom with dozens and dozens of round tables covered with white tablecloths set up for 20 people at each table was filled. The sound of chatting runners matched the sound of forks clinking against china. We did not know a soul in the room. We chose one of the few tables where there were vacant seats. We had a delightful conversation with three siblings who had a close loving family. As we served ourselves pasta, salad and Italian bread, I felt the butterflies flutter again in my stomach. I was about to embark on my first 13.1 mile road race. That’s half a marathon! I ate mindfully taking in every moment of the pre-race atmosphere. The conversation quelled as Paulie stood at the podium getting ready to introduce running greats Bill Rodgers and Frank Shorter. I quickly learned there is no separation between everyday runners and running greats. I was enthralled with their running stories and tips for our races. They quipped with each other in tongue in cheek trash talk banter. After their talk we were invited to meet them. We had photo ops, a Boston Marathon poster signed by both Frank and Bill and I received words of encouragement as I prepared to run my first half marathon race on the road to Boston.

As I drifted off to sleep, I reflected on all of my blessings and was in awe of this new community called “runners.”

It became overcast at gun time but the temperature was moderate as we crossed the starting line. We were in the 14 minute/mile pace corral just in front of the walkers. We took off at a fast pace - a 13 minute/mile pace. I told myself to release all feelings of lack and limitation and go with the flow. This was a training run so I needed to push my pace while I also monitored my heart rate. By mile 10, I abandoned my fueling and hydration plan. Sleet pelted my face and my only goal was to cross that finish line.

The post-race reception included bagels, peanut butter, bananas, hot soup from the 99 Restaurant, orange slices and water. I was shivering when I came into the ballroom. Among the thousands of runners streaming into the ballroom, Frank Shorter spotted me.

He put both of his hands on my forearms, looked at me straight in the eye and said, “I have no doubt you are going to finish Boston!”

I told him I wasn’t feeling so well.

“Get hot soup and hydrate,” he said while he congratulated me on finishing the race in tough conditions and signed my bib.

Although I wasn’t feeling well, and should have gone upstairs to take a hot shower, there was a reporter interviewing runners. I told him my story and I was in the next day’s Cape Cod Times:

Mary McManus, 55, of Brookline completed her first half marathon after making a remarkable recovery from a life-long battle against post-polio syndrome.

She spent time at the Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital and began running just last February. She competed in her first race in June 2008, finishing a 5K.

“It’s like having a new lease on life,” said McManus, who ran yesterday’s half marathon with husband Tom. “I was limping my way through life, but then decided to do something about it.”

It was a phenomenal weekend; the first of many weekends that would come to be known as Camp Hyannis. I earned my first of many medals for finishing a race but the greatest prize was the friendships forged at the pre-race pasta dinner.

With just 8 weeks to go, I began to anticipate toeing the starting line of the 113th Boston Marathon.

We returned to Camp Hyannis for the next 12 years. I'd see Frank on several occasions and Bill and I became friends seeing each other at other races besides Hyannis. We'd meet up with friends we met in previous years and made new friends each year. I inspired runners with my journey and Paul gave me a table at the Expo to sell my books.

This past February I was blessed to be a guest speaker at the pre-race pasta dinner sharing the stage with Bill Rodgers! He embraced me and my journey and even gave me a shout out at the starting line saying how others should be inspired by my journey.



I still smile as I reflect on this grand journey that began on May 25th 2007 when I took a leap of faith to heal my life from the once ravaging effects of paralytic polio and trauma.

Somewhere, deep inside of me, I knew I had a date with destiny:

A Date With Destiny from "Feel the Heal: An Anthology of Poems to Heal Your Life"

Don’t wait til you die to let your soul fly free
please listen and hear what happened to me.
My body was broken every imaginable place
yet to the world always a smile on my face.
My soul trapped inside feeling it was broken too
God brought me out of darkness my light I shine on you.
She showed me the way through people I met
it took awhile a message hard to get.

The kingdom of heaven is right inside me
take the leap of faith fulfill destiny.
While I did my soul work and let my soul fly free
my body transformed changes did I see.
My head now aligned the tremor no more
my body aligned such strength in my core.
When once head detached from my heart and my soul
they all work together amazingly whole.
The rules that I live by are my rules alone
I found strength and courage the past now has flown.

I followed my heart to create myself anew
to feel simply Divine despite all I’ve lived through.
Take the leap of faith into grace I can fall
but I’m floating on air answering God’s call
Don’t wait til you die to let your soul fly free
there’s no reason to live a life in misery.
Follow your passions and I will tell you this
the body falls away healed when you follow your bliss.

I've been incredibly blessed with the miracle of healing mind, body and soul and the people I've met along the way including two running greats!

To learn more about my quest to heal my life, visit my website at www.marymcmanus.com

My books are available on Amazon.

From my heart to yours
In health and wellness
Mary

Coming Home

Coming Home: A Memoir of Healing, Hope and Possibility is the title of the first book in my Trilogy of Transformation sharing my journey from the diagnosis of Post Polio Syndrome, a progressive neuromuscular disease to the finish line of the Boston Marathon and beyond. Here are copies of my book in the crate as I anticipated the book Launch Party on May 23, 2014:





On May 25, 2007, I took a leap of faith leaving my award winning career as a VA social worker where I received accolades as Social Worker of the Year, Employee of the Month and Certificates of Appreciation from the Blinded Veterans Association and Former POW's:


I knew I needed to heal my life from the ravages of paralytic polio and enduring years of abuse at the hands of family members. I knew that I did not practice good self care and was not even aware of how my past was trapped in my body and I became trapped in my life.

But in the cold, dark days of February 2007, I got still and asked for Divine Guidance. The answer to my query for guidance came in the form of a poem and then many many poems in which I imagined a future very different from the one doctors predicted for me and my pen, my divining rod for healing opened the portal to healing my past.

I found my way home through the sport of running. Although I had never run a day in my life, the first poem I wrote was "Running the Race." That poem foreshadowed my 2009 Boston Marathon and led me to a sport that transformed my life mind, body and soul!



A Neighborhood Run

Early on a weekend morning
lacing up
heading out
heart open
feeling free
runners pass me left and right
but no matter
I run my own race
keep my own pace
peaceful and content
joyful
celebrating health
feeling well and whole
holy integrated
in my sacred earthly home
remembering a time not so long ago
of estrangement from myself
isolated and apart
unworthy and wretched
oh the stories we tell ourselves
but no more
on this late summer day
my neighborhood
coming home in my body
I come home to my life.

Just as Dorothy experienced being transported to a world unlike any she had known, "I don't think we're in Kansas anymore," we have all been transported to a world of stay at home orders, masks, sanitation and social distancing requirements. I am so grateful that I took that leap of faith 13 years ago as it holds me in good stead for navigating the uncharted waters of our times. While there were times of anxiety and angst, doubts and fears, faith and love and a belief in myself prevailed. I discovered the power within me to transform my life only the power was in my running shoes instead of ruby red slippers.



May you dear readers discover the power you have within you and may you discover the joy in coming home to your life!

From my heart to yours
In health and wellness
Mary

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

My books are available on Amazon

Imagination is Everything

Today's blog is inspired by Kristabeth Atwood's Rites of Passage, LLC One Minute Thought for the Day on Facebook. She shared how we often think that imagination is only for children but as adults, imagination gives us a place to experience our dreams. Some of them come true and some of them don't and that's okay.

During my morning meditation I was wondering about what to write in today's blog as I count down to May 25th, 2007 when I took a leap of faith to leave my award winning career as a VA social worker to heal my life from the once ravaging effects of paralytic polio and trauma to heal my life.

And then I heard Kristabeth's #morningritual of a one minute thought for the day and there it was.

I harnessed the power of imagination and the mind/body connection through what I call my divining rod for healing, my pen as poems flowed through me in which I imagined myself healthy, whole and running free despite never having run a day in my life. The very first poem I wrote after receiving the diagnosis of Post Polio Syndrome, a progressive neuromuscular disease and getting still asking for Divine Guidance was called "Running the Race."

The couplet that intrigued me was:

Using wheelchair to travel, set limits on what I could do,
Resulted in joy to realize I could live life anew.
Celebrated my body- creaks, groans and need for a brace
While in my mind I focused on winning a 10K race.

I sat in a leg brace, using a cane and at times a wheelchair for mobility and was told to prepare to spend the rest of my life in a wheelchair possibly needing a feeding tube, a sleep apnea machine and to experience a rapid decline in functioning as I aged.

In my mind's eye I saw a very different future for myself as poems poured out of me in which I danced in the rain, ran free and unencumbered and healed the wounds from my past through gratitude and forgiveness.

I wrote out a 30 day journal of my life after the VA. Every day I took time to write about a day in my life after May 25th. I fancied myself a best selling author, being on Oprah and being a motivational speaker. I am a motivational speaker and while I haven't been on Oprah, I have been blessed to be interviewed on radio. My story has also been included in best selling author, David Hamilton, Ph.D.'s book, How Your Mind Can Heal Your Body.

While I wrote a poem about running a race, in my wildest imaginings, I had no idea that poem foreshadowed my running of the 2009 Boston Marathon:

I focused on abundance despite leaving behind a very well paid career and am so blessed and grateful for the abundance in our lives.

More than any accomplishments or tangible things that we have accomplished and acquired, the most treasured gift in this journey which I was able to achieve through the power of my imagination, was healing mind, body and soul. I discovered strength and resilience, endurance and faith throughout this journey. I have become the woman I was always meant to be emerging out of the self imposed cocoon of survival. At times the journey got messy as life does but I believed in creating my future through the power of imagination.

Imagination IS everything and has been the preview of my life's coming attractions after taking a leap of faith into the unknown 13 years ago. I continue to harness the power of my imagination before giving a talk or an interview, seeing the book launch party for my next book, envisioning a race and continuing to use imagination to heal mind, body and soul as life's inevitable challenges present themselves.

I also harness the power of my imagination to see a world at peace, free from fear and all beings healthy, happy, whole and at ease.

What do you imagine?

To learn more about my journey, you can visit my website at www.marymanus.com

My books are available on Amazon.

From my heart to yours

In health and wellness

Mary