Are You Sure?

 

Wonderful caring and well-meaning people kept asking me if I was sure about taking the leap of faith and leaving behind my award winning career as a VA Social Worker to heal my life.

I was absolutely sure...and terrified...and excited and experiencing the entire spectrum of feelings that is a part of the human experience.

I relied on a quote from Helen Keller:

Fourteen years ago at this time, I could feel the nervous butterflies as I counted down the days until May 25th when I would 'clear out' of the VA as the process is called for terminating employment. I felt a sense of relief that I would no longer be getting up at 5:30am and making the commute into Boston seeing a full day's schedule of veterans and their families, coordinating care, attending meetings, doing on-line trainings and doing all the tasks of a medical social worker in a busy outpatient clinic. For 17 years I absolutely loved the work I was doing. It wasn't work but a passion and my mission in life. But then my mind, body and soul cried out for healing. I was burned out and had to take care of me for I could no longer give from an empty cup.

I was grateful for the parties I received from my Team and medical staff across the campuses who had come to know my work, from my Social Work Staff, and for the gifts both tangible and intangible that I would take with me. 

I was offered doing a part-time position as my friends and colleagues were anxious about my leaving before I was eligible for retirement and had no clear cut financial plan for my future.

I had withdrawn my retirement account and as it turned out, many lost a lot of money from their retirement accounts because of the economy. 

I was so grateful for their care and concern about my well-being. I totally understood where they were coming from because at times I thought that what I was doing was absolutely crazy. But I had this feeling deep in my soul and knew that it was time to leave.

As I wrote about in a recent blog, I knew I had a Date With Destiny!

These 14 years have been filled with adventures, trials and tribulations and remarkable triumphs that I now share with others to inspire them with what's possible beyond a diagnosis and seemingly insurmountable odds.

Was I sure? Once I made the decision to take that leap of faith, I was sure that it was my only choice to move forward in my life.

Be sure to check out my website's News and Events page for upcoming and past interviews where I share my remarkable and inspirational journey as a survivor of paralytic polio and trauma.

From my heart to yours
In health and wellness
Mary

For more information about my journey from childhood polio and trauma to the finish line of the 2009 Boston Marathon and beyond, visit my website. 

My books to inspire and uplift you are available on Amazon.