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

Hidden in Plain Sight

We are all being called to grow a lot of qualities this Spring. I feel blessed and grateful that the gift of poetry is once again blossoming in my soul. While I have always cultivated an attitude of gratitude, this Spring I feel a profound appreciation for the burst of colors appearing all around Boston this year. I have a sense of awe and wonder at the world around me feeling a deeper connection to the Divine.

Last night I was drawn to look out of our living room window and my breath caught. The full Pink Moon was astounding!


This Springtime the world is taking a collective pause. Unless we are front line health care workers or in essential roles, we are away from the hustle and bustle of every day life. It's a time for cultivating patience, hope, faith, optimism and awakening to what might ordinarily be hidden in plain sight.

Gifts of Awakening

Hidden in plain sight

get still

pause

take a deep breath
get clarity
see through the eyes of the heart

a topsy turvy world
an upside down view
through the looking glass
nature's delights
a delight for the senses

Bird songs coaxing smiles
waves gently lap at shore
breathe in ... breathe out
tiny green buds
trees pregnant with possibilities

raindrops on windows
muddy puddles
Master's palette of brown and green
sweet scent anticipation of Spring

where Love lives there can be no fear
awaken to all in plain sight.

It's a time to see through the lens of Love rather than the lens of fear and panic that can obliterate the beauty that surrounds us.

To your health and wellness
From my heart to yours
Mary

Please be sure to visit my website at www.marymcmanus.com to learn more about my incredible journey of transformation from a survivor of paralytic polio to an endurance runner, poet, inspirational speaker and blogger.

My books are available on Amazon.

Perception

The subject of yesterday morning's newsletter from Anita Moorjani was "A Time to Be Mindful."

She wrote:
This morning, despite being overall quite well, I did start to notice my energy levels starting to go down from being "house bound" and not being able to go out with my friends, or road trips, or the beach or anywhere fun. This month, I was supposed to go to India to see my mom, but of course, that's been cancelled. That made me sad. In addition, even though we limit watching the news, I noticed that the local news channel we sometimes tune into just to check the weather and local protocols was bombarding viewers with all the panic-laden breaking news and the latest statistics! Previously, this local news channel has a tendency to introduce a lot of lightheartedness and lot of human interest segments but alas, that has changed for the time being so I'll only tune in for a few minutes each day. There's always the computer but there's a limit to the number of hours you can spend on social media or shows you can binge watch.

So, having decided enough is enough, I went up to Danny this morning, looked him square in the eye, put my hands on my hips, thrust my chin out and adamantly said to him "I have three things to say to you!" Danny tried very hard to look shocked, frightened and perplexed at the same time but couldn't really pull off any of them while - between sips of coffee, asking "what's up?"

I replied:

"Number one. I've decided I'm not going to see myself as part of a city wide lockdown - I'm taking the month of April off and I'm vacationing at home!

Number two. I'm going to start a new hobby during my vacation. I'm going to decorate one of the upstairs rooms and turn it into a meditation sanctuary and you're going to teach me how to put up shelves and curtains!

And number three. I'm making a Thai style coconut fish curry for dinner!"

I felt tingles and a shift happen within me.

After the diagnosis of Post-Polio Syndrome in December of 2006, I discovered the powerful transformative healing power of writing poetry. A few years ago I focused on writing my memoir and a Trilogy of Transformation was born. I started writing poetry again in the wake of this pandemic.

This morning this poem just flowed out of me:

Perception

Is the glass half full or empty
are you grateful you have a glass to fill?
Power lies in perception
shifting perception at will.
Do I see myself as a victim
or magical creator of life
trusting and faith overflowing
flowing with ease in the midst of strife.
See arc of the rainbow on horizon
feeling blessed with each breath I take
transforming transcending whatever surrounds
Align with joy Be alive and awake.
Each moment in the present
a gift from Source to enthrall
reflecting to capture our brilliance
gems reflecting our purpose our call.
Keep perception of prism refracting
all is well it's perfectly crystal clear
creating aligned with Creator
only Love there is nothing to fear.

We've been listening to the Insight Meditation Society's Daily Offerings. In yesterday's talk, Chris DiCapua cited how during these times our minds are like a Petri dish with a soup of thoughts. What thoughts are we going to cultivate? What thoughts will we allow to take root and what thoughts will we let pass. He led us through a wonderful meditation. These Daily Offerings are only 15-20 minutes long and have a wonderful calming and grounding effect in the middle of the day. My biggest take away was that there is so much we do not have control over but we do have a choice to be mindful of what thoughts we allow to expand.

During this time of not having control over so many things in our world, we DO have the freedom to choose our perception. My hope and intention is that you may find ways to feel uplifted in times of darkness, strong in times of feeling fragile and vulnerable and feeling Love surrounding.

From my heart to yours
to your health and well being
With love
Mary

My website is www.marymcmanus.com

My books are available on Amazon