On Walden Pond

During Tom's vacation week, you would find Team McManus on Olde Cape Cod enjoying a hotel stay and great seafood at our favorite restaurants. But this summer is different and so we have had to pivot.

On Monday afternoon, we decided to take a trip out to Walden Pond. We'd been watching the tweets from Walden Pond that announced capacity and how it would close when it reached capacity and reopen a few hours later. Since it was 3pm and there had been no tweets we decided to take a drive.

We got a parking space and went for a swim. With pools being closed since March, beaches requiring 12' of social distancing and lion mane jelly fish, we felt incredibly blessed to get in for a swim.


Yesterday we planned to go for a run and then return to Walden Pond for a swim. Given that the forecast predicted temperatures near 90, we had a feeling that capacity could be reached early on. We changed from running clothes into bathing suits, packed a picnic and spent a glorious morning swimming and enjoying being together unplugged, out in nature. The Pond closed a half hour after we arrived and reopened right before we left.



Thoreau's spirit is palpable at Walden Pond and these two quotes resonated with me as we enjoyed the beauty of the surroundings.



Ruth Anne and I have each had our journeys of transformation from illness to wellness. I healed the effects of paralytic polio and trauma and Ruth Anne is healing from the effects of an untreated infection that resulted in brain inflammation secondary to an auto immune response to the untreated infection. We have each learned to unlearn habits that we developed in order to survive our conditions and then to move beyond them and transform.

During our swim, a dragonfly came to visit us on each day.

I did a google search for dragonfly as an animal totem:

In almost every part of the world, the Dragonfly symbolizes change, transformation, adaptability, and self-realization.

The change that is often referred to has its source in mental and emotional maturity and understanding the deeper meaning of life.  The Dragonfly’s scurrying flight across water represents an act of going beyond what’s on the surface and looking into the deeper implications and aspects of life.  The Dragonfly moves with elegance and grace.  The Dragonfly is iridescent both on its wings and body.  Iridescence shows itself in different colors depending on the angle and how the light falls on it. The magical property of iridescence is also associated with the discovery of one’s own abilities by unmasking the real self and removing the doubts one casts on his/her own sense of identity.

The Dragonfly normally lives most of its life as a nymph or an immature. It flies only for a fraction of its life.  This symbolizes and exemplifies the virtue of living in the moment and living life to the fullest. By living in the moment you are aware of who you are, where you are, what you are doing, what you want, what you don’t, and to make informed choices on a moment-to-moment basis.  The eyes of the Dragonfly symbolize the uninhibited vision of the mind and the ability to see beyond the limitations of the human self.  Dragonfly’s can be a symbol of self that comes with maturity. They can symbolize going past self-created illusions that limit our growth and ability to change.
The Dragonfly has been a symbol of happiness, new beginnings and change for many centuries.  The Dragonfly means hope, change, and love.

As we celebrate healing, hope and possibilities during the summer of 2020, it was affirming to receive this sign from the Universe about the path Ruth Anne is on and the path I have walked and continue to walk.

We find blessings in the pandemic, although at times feel incredibly frustrated by not being able to enjoy the places we usually visit in summer and visit with friends. We rediscovered Walden Pond and rather than running around going to the Cape or different beaches, visiting friends, we get to slow down and make new pathways in our lives creating a present and a future with thoughts we wish to dominate in our lives. We have, through this pandemic, discovered how to simplify and declutter our lives and cherish the time we spend together; such as swimming on Walden Pond.

Be sure to visit my website at www.marymcmanus.com to be inspired by my journey of healing, hope and possibility.

My books are available on Amazon.

From my heart to yours
In health and wellness
Mary