My Favorite Running Route - Well Worth the Wait!

Perhaps what I yearned for most during these past 6 months of the pandemic was running by the ocean in South Boston. We did one run along Wollaston Beach but it was low tide. We had to bob and weave to social distance and avoid bicycles and skateboards. While I was grateful to see the expansiveness of the ocean, it wasn't the same as hearing and seeing the waves crash against the rocks and running right along the ocean.

We haven't been to Cape Cod this summer where we often enjoy running and racing along the beach in Falmouth.

With the unofficial end of summer on Labor Day Weekend, we deemed it safe to return to Carson Beach and run out to the JFK Library and U Mass Boston.

The weather although a bit chilly and windy at first was perfect.

The sea air invigorated me and I had one of my best 5K times in a very long time.

I breathed deeply and savored the sights, scents and sounds of a late summer's day in Boston.

While I always appreciate my running as a gift and never take a mile for granted, Saturday's run filled my heart with overwhelming gratitude and brought me to tears.

It was 6 long months of waiting to return to our favorite running route ... It was well worth the wait!



Saturday's run inspired me to write this poem from the soon to be released: Hope: A Collection of Essays and Poems From the Pandemic of 2020:
My Soul Settles By The Sea

Running in tandem with waves
my soul settles by the sea
seagulls soaring
seeing Divine's creations
sun sparkles
sprinkling white caps dotting deep blue
steady breath
scent of briny air
sounds of water lapping shore
surrounded by beauty.

Stress dissolves
each footstep bids farewell to troubles
joy bubbles from the depths
Divine Love
heart overflows
refreshment for mind and body.

Once shackled
unbridled from unfathomable past
wounds healed
wind whispers
“Run my child
set yourself free”
my soul settles by the sea.

To learn more about my inspiring journey from the diagnosis of Post Polio Syndrome to the finish line of the 2009 Boston Marathon and beyond be sure to visit my website at www.marymcmanus.com

My books are available on Amazon

From my heart to yours
To your health and wellness
Mary

Trust the Process of Life: Releasing Fear and Anxiety

During my run this morning, I reflected on quotes I read in the news about parents fearing for their lives and the lives of their children if schools reopen. I put those quotes in juxtaposition with a quote that "just happened" to pop up in my memory feed from Louise Hay:
"Fear comes from not trusting the process of Life to be there for you. The next time you are frightened, say: 'I trust the process of Life to take care of me.'"

And remembered the above quote by Helen Keller.

Living a life in fear for me is not living!

I've known adversity and trauma since I was 5 years old when I contracted paralytic polio during one of the last polio epidemics in the United States. I endured years of abuse at the hands of family members from the time I was 8 until I was 17 when my father ended his life. I learned to trust in something greater than myself when I had an out of body experience shortly after contracting paralytic polio and being under the care of my mother who was addicted to prescription pain medication.

I was touched by grace time and time again despite the horrors I endured during my father's alcoholic rages.

I was blessed by earth angels in the guise of teachers and guidance counselors to support the intellectual prowess I developed to cope with the chaotic home life. The diagnosis of Post Polio Syndrome at the age of 53 was my wake up call and provided me with the opportunity to at long last heal my life and become a creator of my life.

All the wisdom I have garnered through my healing journey during these past 13 years is serving me well during these chaotic and turbulent times.

Being able to go out on a run in nature is a blessing where I experience nature and life:


The sweat and endorphins wash away any sense of worry or fear.

From the soon to be released "Feel the Heal: An Anthology of Poems to Heal Your Life Volume II":
After a Run

After a run troubles melt away
a once tight chest filled with dread and fear
opens
overflowing with joy and gratitude.

Thoughts tossed and turned
restless night
greatest feat
first step
crossing front door threshold

Exhaustion exhumed
vibrancy returns
hitting my stride
connection to Source
bathed in sunlight
beads of sweat
a fountain of joy and freedom

After a run
troubles melt away as sweat pours from pores
all that remains
sweetness of summertime
a reminder
born to run
free!

While initially, I felt fear and panic during lock down and needed to heal wounds that were reopened, I increased meditation time, started writing poetry again, and remembered what Mark Twain once said:


Fear and worry can inhibit the immune system and wreak havoc on the body.

From Dr. Joe Dispenza who was a great source of inspiration to me after a serious knee injury in December 2014:

If you believe your thoughts and feelings have an effect on your reality, the moment you react to external events with survival emotions, you begin putting more of your attention on them, and if you’re putting your attention on these events (events over which you have no control), you’re giving away your power to them. Every time you react with fear & anxiety because fear and anxiety are emotions & emotions are energy, they only serve to feed the next moment of unrest. What we need to learn how to do in this moment of history is to be in the stillness—to become the eye of the hurricane. The eye of a hurricane is a place of calm, around which spins the storm. We become the eye when we pull ourselves out of the chaos and into the present moment. This is, after all, why we do all the training we do—because it’s in the eternal present moment where all of creation is engendered. By regulating internal emotions independent of external conditions, this is how we begin to master our environment.⁣⁣
⁣⁣
While we need to be cognizant and vigilant of injustices in our society, I would encourage you from time to time to disconnect from the news. If you don’t want to completely disconnect, then be a force for adding light and love to those social feeds. Better yet, in your day-to-day life, perform a random act of kindness for a stranger, call someone you haven’t talked to in a long time, forgive someone or forgive yourself for something you’ve been holding on to. At the very least, be loving & kind to yourself and those around you, because everyone is going through their own challenges♥️

There was another wonderful quote I heard from Elisa Goldstein, Ph.D. "In times of uncertainty, focus on what you are certain of. One thing we are certain of is that we need to take care of ourselves and each other." I run, meditate, eat healthfully, hydrate, practice gratitude and share feelings with my friends and family while also celebrating the miracle of my life. I also limit my exposure to the news.

I know of our bodies' tremendous capacity to heal as I have seen countless times over and over again in my own life and the stories of others. You can read The Tenth Anniversary of How Your Mind Can Heal Your Body by Dr. David Hamilton, Dr. Joe's You Are the Placebo and Becoming Supernatural or books by Bernie Siegel, MD to read these stories of healing and transformation harnessing the power of the mind/body connection. They also write about studies where fear was instilled by physicians and patients' bodies listened to what they were told about their diagnosis and prognosis.

While I wear a mask, social distance and wash my hands, I also choose to trust the process of life and co-create health and well being regardless of external circumstances or appearances.

To be inspired and motivated by my journey from being told to prepare to spend the rest of my life in a wheelchair to the finish line of the 2009 Boston Marathon and beyond, be sure to visit my website at www.marymcmanus.com

My books are available on Amazon

To your health and wellness
From my heart to yours
Mary

Delight in All Seasons

It can be a challenge to remember that our natural state is joy when the state of the world is as it is right now. I find that especially during challenging times it is vital to feel joy. Shortly after I was diagnosed with Post Polio Syndrome in December of 2006, I discovered the gift of poetry in my soul and the portal to joy and healing opened despite all appearances to the contrary. My body was in a deconditioned state and I was told to prepare to spend the rest of my life in a wheelchair, that I needed to quit my award winning career as a VA social worker if I had any hope of stabilizing symptoms of the progressive neuromuscular disease where they were. As I had when facing challenges all my life (and believe me they were formidable odds with having contracted paralytic polio and enduring years of abuse at the hands of family members), I got still and asked for Divine Guidance. That's when I wrote the poem, "Running the Race."

I had taken a hiatus from writing poetry until this recent global crisis and I am once again experiencing joy through the power of my pen and my imagination.

I am also making sure I experience joy even though we have a stay at home order and life has been turned upside down.

This morning I went on a walk with my daughter who lives with us. Despite the rain and a grey morning, I stopped to take a photo of the beautiful flowers:


We experienced the joy of raindrops and birds singing loud and clear despite the weather!

I was inspired to write this poem yesterday reflecting on experiences that bring a feeling of joy:
Delight in All Seasons

As light as a feather on summer’s breeze
whimsical face
wishing on a dandelion seed.

Delight in simple pleasures
release all pressures to do
play and just be.

Chasing butterflies in flight
a kaleidoscope of colors
lands lightly winning the race.

Cocked head with curiosity
as light dances on gentle waves
seagulls swoop and soar
dancing on air.

Hold on tightly
kite in flight
smiling squinting eyes as it dips and dives.

Fallen angels in snow
flapping arms
laughing with glee.

Piles of dried leaves
jump in with both feet
rustling oranges and browns total joy.

Whatever your age
be sure to
delight in all seasons of your life.

What brings you joy and a sense of freedom and delight?

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.

From my heart to yours
In health and wellness
With love and peace
Mary

Well Being during Extraordinary Times

During these times of chaos, confusion and fear, it can become quite challenging to experience a sense of well being. I feel blessed to be connected to many like hearted beings in the field of Facebook and in my physical life who are focused on well being at this time.

My friend Lisa Berman has a Saturday Sunrise page on Facebook. She captures the magnificence of sunrises, sunsets and the ebb and flow of the ocean. If you need to reclaim your sense of well being, head to the beach. If you don't live near the beach or if you are in quarantine, these images and videos will create that same sense of well being.


It seems that it always takes a crisis for an individual or a society to be shaken out of its usual way of thinking and being. When I was diagnosed with Post-Polio Syndrome in December of 2006, I was shaken to my core with the diagnosis of a what the medical profession cited as a progressive neuromuscular disease. I immersed myself in information about the mind/body connection, holistic healing practices and my body's tremendous capacity for healing. After a serious knee injury in December of 2014, I was blessed to find a chiropractor who led me to the movie "What the bleep do we know" and Dr. Joe Dispenza's book, "You Are the Placebo."

While I knew the power of the mind/body connection through my own healing journey, "You Are the Placebo" brought me to the next level of evolution in my health and wellness journey. I was then led to "Heal Documentary" and its companion book.

Through Dr. Joe on Facebook, I met Sarah Baron. You can follow her on Instagram @lovelttd #wellbeings. She draws Well Beings and her posts are filled with enthusiasm and passion, light and love. Her recent posts fill me with delight and gratitude and this one in particular strongly resonated with me:


WellBeing flows like Niagara falls, never ending, limitless. Its all around you.
Its a frequency, a vibration in everything. Love let's it in, fear holds
it away, It's always there, limitless love and wellbeing for everyone.
Relax, be calm, all is well. Let it flow to you and through you. LOVE,
JOY, EASE, CALM, RELAX, BE KIND, LOVE. <3 <3 <3 Lets raise each other up. <3 You are doing great! Nothing is wrong. All is well. <3

After my morning meditation, I often take a photo to post to Facebook along with an inspirational message to start the day. I was in awe when, yesterday morning, this was the photo I took with a Well Being:


Sarah lives in Australia! Well beings abound! You can visit her page on Pinterest.

She encourages us to imagine, just for 17 seconds and then another 17 seconds in this post reminding us all is well:
"The sun came up. The moon came up. The birds are singing. The flowers
are growing. Children are laughing. Clouds are floating by. Rain
sprinkles down. We woke up today. All is so very well. Love you all <3 Well Being abounds. It has you. It is you. It's in you. It's who you are. Meditation and imagination is your super power. Focus on what you want. Imagine the best! LOVE, JOY, FREEDOM, PLAYFULLNESS, VIBRANCE, EASE, THRIVING. It's who you are. Try to imagine for 17 seconds.... then another 17... then another 17. Your imagination is a preview of the life that you are drawing to you. <3 <3 <3 You each have a Well Being. Loving and adoring you."



While I am not on Instagram, Sarah shared this video from Dr. Joe. He later posted this:

It seems so unnatural to make these types of choices in the midst of such conditions, but if we repeatedly succeed, in time we’ll transcend the norm—and we, too, become supernatural. And most important, by your being supernatural, you give others permission to do the same. Mirror neurons fire when we observe someone else performing an action. Our neurons mirror the neurons of that other person, as though we were performing the same action. For example, when you see a professional dancer dancing the salsa, you will dance the salsa better than you did before. If you watch Serena Williams hit a tennis ball, you will hit the ball better than you did before. If you observe someone leading a community with love and compassion, you’ll lead in your life in the same way. And if you witness someone self-healing from a disease by changing his or her thought processes, you’ll be more prone to do the same.

I am deeply grateful to those who went before me to show me what is possible for healing and now I hope to be a beacon of light for others who may be living in paralyzing fear unaware that all is well and our natural state is health and well being. I have a page on my website dedicated to healing resources.

It seems unnatural to not feel fear and panic when the media and "experts" are telling us we need to be afraid - very afraid. While my family and I are mindful about hand washing, and aware of keeping social distance until we receive the all clear, we are focusing on our bodies' tremendous capacity to heal, finding calm in the midst of chaos, practicing meditations that support our physical and emotional health and stay focused on well being.

Well Being

Be present
behold the gift of each new moment
presenting itself.
When fear takes hold be brazenly bold
be in the flow.
Allowing well being
take heart feel in your heart
all is well.
Dipping into well of well being
paint a Masterpiece reflect Divine
geyser rising deep within soul
cleanse doubts fear and worry
heal brokenness.
Transformation
eyes sparkle
rainbow reflections
effervescence overflowing.
Expand
let loose the ties that bind like a rubber band
breathe deeply.
Have courage to be
your true self
trust and be
well
Being.

To your health and wellness
From my heart to yours
Mary

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

My books are available on Amazon

Autumn Splendor Revealed in Our Morning Runs

We have been blessed with a most spectacular Autumn this year in Boston with moderate temps and glorious sunshine. I'm going to do something a little different in today's blog inspired by a 10 day photo challenge from Steve Jones on Facebook. Here are scenes from our morning runs for you to savor and enjoy as much as we did while getting in our miles.





The evidence for the benefits of nature on mental and physical health are numerous and last year, doctors in Scotland began writing nature prescriptions for their patients.

Why not write one for yourself and experience splendor of the seasons wherever you may be!

To your health and wellness
From my heart to yours
Mary

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

Hear my interview with Kendra Petrone on Magic 106.7's Exceptional Women Show by following this link

My books are available on Amazon and "Feel the Heal" and "The Adventures of Runnergirl 1953" are available in Natick Center Cultural District at Paula Romero Dunbar's Celebration Boutique Paper Fiesta coincidentally located on Mile 10 of the Boston Marathon Route.