May 12, 2007: I sat in a nearly bare office at 251 Causeway Street in Boston. I was winding down my nearly 20 year career as a dedicated social worker at the VA Outpatient Clinic. I was counting down the days until May 25th, the day I would take a leap of faith to heal my life.
I was saying goodbye to veterans and their families and my colleagues and co-workers while preparing myself for a new way of life. I had worked since I was 14 years old and had no idea what it would be like to not have a job to report to. I did, however, have my work cut out for me. In December of 2006 I was diagnosed with Post Polio Syndrome deemed by Western Medicine as a progressive neuromuscular disease. I was using a toe up leg brace, cane and at times a wheelchair for mobility:
I knew I could no longer keep up the rigors of a full time job that was physically and emotionally demanding yet it was one that brought me incredible joy and satisfaction until I suffered caregiver burnout.
I found new joy and passion in writing poetry. I called my pen my divining rod for healing as it opened the portal to a whole new world of healing, hope and possibility.
My colleagues thought that I should have reconsidered my decision to take a leap of faith without a "safety net." Who could blame them? I was leaving a well paying job with health insurance with no specific plans except to follow my newfound bliss as a writer and poet and heal my life.
I knew I was not destined to spend the rest of my life in a wheelchair or have all the other things happen to my body that the doctors predicted for me. I was blessed to be working with an earth angel of a physical therapist, Allison Lamarre-Poole (now in private practice in Maine). She led me out of my world as a survivor of paralytic polio and trauma to a whole new world of a mind/body connection and introducing me to the world of working out and being a full participant in my own life. She supported my passion for poetry and told me in word and actions that I was in fact NOT destined to spend the rest of my life in a wheelchair.
We worked together three times a week using Pilates, isometrics, weight training and cardiovascular exercise to begin to bring my body out of its withered state.
When I wasn't seeing patients, I was getting still and taking time to imagine my future as a poet and entrepreneur as the owner of "New World Greeting Cards" original poetry for every occasion. I literally felt no pain when I wrote poetry and it flowed out of me like water from a faucet. It was as though a spigot had been turned on in my heart and soul.
As I look back on the days leading up to my retirement, I realize how people thought I was crazy to take that leap of faith. One couldn't earn a living as an author and certainly not as a poet yet I fancied myself as a NY Times Bestselling Author and being on Oprah.
I clearly remember thinking to myself one morning after meditation, "I know I have money. I am abundant." And then it came to me..."I have my retirement account. I am going to withdraw it and use it for seed money."
Another idea that caused panic for my co-workers and colleagues who were worried that I may have been experiencing some kind of a breakdown but for me I was following my intuition and Divine Guidance. A year later the market crashed and I would have lost a lot of that retirement account that was available to me as I embarked on writing a new chapter in my life. I was able to use that money for travel and to get us through those initial months without my salary. Throughout these past 13 years, we have focused on abundance even when there were times when we were experiencing financial strain. But without my health and well being, what good would that salary have been to me and to our family.
Although I wasn't on Oprah, I have had the opportunity to inspire many many people with my journey and my message of what's possible despite all appearances to the contrary. I took on the 2009 Boston Marathon with the help of an angelic personal trainer, Janine Hightower who I was blessed to meet in October of 2007.
What a thrill it was this past February to share the podium with Bill Rodgers and have him honor me as we spoke at the Hyannis Marathon Weekend Pre-Race Pasta Dinner:
I have had many many adventures as runnergirl 1953 on the roads and in my life and I discovered many empowering and inspiring quotes along this journey:
and my favorite from Helen Keller:
So while this pandemic has created a lot of anxiety and uncertainty, it is also an amazing time for possibilities to emerge that despite all appearances to the contrary may seem impossible.
Always hold onto hope and my hope is that my journey inspires you to take that leap of faith and create your life filled with abundance, health and well being.
From my heart to yours
In health and wellness
With love and peace
Mary
Be sure to visit my website to learn more about my inspirational journey from a wheelchair to the finish line of the Boston Marathon and beyond!
My books are available on Amazon.
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