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

What am I going to do? Call an Uber? - Come Out and Play

"Are we going out in this?" Ruth Anne asked.
"You betcha," I answered without hesitation.

It was 43 degrees and raining but there was no snow or ice on the ground. The winds seemed quiet. We made a vow that if it were at all possible to go outside and run, we would much prefer that to a treadmill run.



The temperatures and rainfall were relatively mild when we set out on our 5K.

We ran around puddles but I could feel the mud and gravel being kicked up against my calf.

The rain and wind picked up and pelted our faces.

There's nothing else to do but embrace the elements and, as I said to Ruth Anne, "What am I going to do? Call an Uber?"

I recalled with fondness the dream I had shortly after the diagnosis of Post-Polio Syndrome.

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

One night I had a dream that I came out of my leg brace and was splashing around in the rain much like Gene Kelly did in Singin’ in the Rain. When I woke up, I penned this poem:

Come Out and Play

Arms flung open wide dancing in the rain
pure abiding joy to feel alive again
healing tears fall and blend in God’s puddle
no time to sit in a corner and huddle
all the old rules driven by fears
washed away now by God’s loving tears
the imprint dad left no longer remains
rain washes away all of the stains
baptized with love, Truth lights my way
the sun shines through on this rainy day
splashing and laughing my heart opens wide
embracing and flowing I’m one with the tide
God takes my hand release the old way
bathe in my glory come out and play!



There was only one other runner running around The Reservoir. We smiled as we passed each other having that deep knowing that is only shared by another runner out in the elements.

We found the joy by singing "It's Raining Men" at the top of our lungs and feeling our strength in running in the rain and head wind.

As we approached the final portion of our run we stopped for water and this selfie:


Our clothes, shoes and faces were dripping wet but our hearts and smiles were full.

I was reminded of George Bernard Shaw's quote, "We don't stop playing because we grow old. We grow old because we stop playing."

Make sure you always make time to come out and play!

And speaking of coming out to play...

To experience an epic race weekend and hear me share my journey from a wheelchair to the finish line of the 2009 Boston Marathon and beyond come to the Hyannis Marathon Weekend February 21-23 2020.

From my heart to yours
In health and wellness
Mary

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

Be inspired by my interview with Kendra Petrone on the award winning Exceptional Women Show by following this link