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

National Poetry Month: Light Always Wins & Movie Review - The Boston Marathon Documentary

From "Feel the Heal: An Anthology of Poems to Heal Your Life":

Out of our deepest wounds we find our greatest strength, our most beautiful treasures and the knowledge that love is far greater and more powerful than any experience we endure. ~Mary McManus

As we approached the one-year anniversary of the Boston Marathon Bombing, I was inspired to write this poem:

Light Always Wins

In their flower beds
awakened by the warm Spring sun
they shiver
unexpected wind chill
mid-April in Boston
we shiver to remember
one year ago
what a difference a year makes
turn over from Winter to Spring
slow
is it always this slow
or a gentle reminder
we are still healing.

Mother Nature has her own rhythm
trust in the Divine
taking time
remember
roots extend deep into earth
we were shaken
we rise

eager to shed our coats
vibrant colors of the soul
radiant
reflecting resilience
invincibility
light always wins.

Last night I had the distinct privilege of watching The Boston Marathon Documentary. There was a meet and greet with the Director, Jon Dunham and Executive Producer Tom Derderian at Barleycorn's Craft Brew before the screening at The Center for the Arts Natick. My husband Tom and I went to watch it several times on iTunes but something would interfere. I am so glad it did for while I will definitely purchase the film on iTunes, I am so glad I experienced the film in a theater.



And experience is the word you want to use when it comes to the Boston Marathon Documentary. The soundtrack complements the film without overpowering it and fuels the emotions that ebb and flow while watching the film. Anyone who sees the film will bring their own experience to the experience whether they are a runner in love with the sport and the Boston Marathon, a runner who has run Boston (as we did) and experienced the events of 4/15/13 first hand (as we did), someone affected by the events of 4/15/13 or someone who loves a good documentary. While the events of 4/15/13 provide a pivotal point in the documentary, Jon takes a broad brush look at the Boston Marathon and its ripple effects around the world. While I experienced intense emotions, especially as the 6th anniversary of 4/15/13 approaches on Monday and with this year marking the 10th year anniversary of my iconic Boston Marathon run, I delighted in learning new information about the Boston Marathon. (No spoiler alerts!)

The film is expertly woven together with historical footage of the Boston Marathon and interviews with such running greats as Bill Rodgers, Amby Burfoot, Frank Shorter, Geoff Smith, Rob DeCastella, and Jack Fultz with heartfelt commentary from Race Director Dave McGillivray. The viewer gets a behind the scenes look at running shoes and what it takes to secure an event like the Boston Marathon in the wake of the 4/15/13 events.

One of the most powerful moments for me was when we hear President Obama's riveting speech after 4/15/13 that included:




"It's not just an athletic competition. Our race has saved lives!" ~Dave McGillivray

I can attest to Dave's statement!

Running the Boston Marathon saved and transformed my life; a powerful healing agent in my recovery from paralytic polio and trauma.

Watching The Boston Marathon documentary will change yours!

It's National Poetry Month AND Boston is ready to run again on Monday.

There is so much to honor and celebrate!

To your health and wellness
From my heart to yours
Mary

Be sure to visit my website by following this link.

My books are available on Amazon.



“The Adventures of Runnergirl 1953” takes you on Mary McManus’ healing odyssey from a wheelchair to the finish line of the 2009 Boston Marathon and beyond. After the diagnosis of Post-Polio Syndrome in December 2006, Mary got still and asked for Divine Guidance tapping into the powerful connection she experienced to the Divine from an early age. She harnessed the power of her mind to heal her body, feverishly writing poetry in which she imagined herself healthy, whole and free from the shackles of her youth. Mary’s quest to heal her life led her to the sport of running. Her story is one that will leave you cheering for the underdog, discovering the meaning of different ability and experiencing the stunning view from the back of the pack of a race. You will have the privilege of bearing witness to how Mary overcame every challenge that life presented to her. The sport of running provides the backdrop for her journey of transformation from a survivor of childhood paralytic polio and severe trauma at the hands of family members to a woman who embodies faith, grace under fire, courage, determination, endurance and resilience. Running became a way of life for Mary that tested her mettle while forging friendships to last a lifetime. As you’ll discover in “The Adventures of Runnergirl 1953” nothing, not even a serious knee injury in December of 2014 could stop her on the roads or in her life.

Feel the Heal: An Anthology of Poems to Heal Your Life


Coming Home: A Memoir of Healing Hope and Possibility that chronicles the first 7 years of my healing journey:


Going the Distance: The Power of Endurance (With a Foreword by Jacqueline Hansen):


My healing journey using the power of visualization is featured in David R. Hamilton's book, "How Your Mind Can Heal Your Body-Anniversary Edition." It's available on Amazon.