"The Switch" and The Power of Imagination

 

Shortly after the diagnosis of Post-Polio Syndrome in December of 2006, I got still and asked for Divine Guidance. I tapped into a well of poetry that ignited my imagination to heal my traumatic past rife with disease and create a future different than the ones the medical profession predicted for me. I wrote poems about running free and dancing in the rain without my leg brace. My first poem, 'Running the Race' foreshadowed my 2009 Boston Marathon run.

With the outbreak of the pandemic, I once again turned to my pen, my divining rod for healing, and wrote poetry that both expressed and transcended the emotions of the day while imagining a future very different than the woes of lock down and quarantine and much uncertainty about the trajectory of the pandemic.

On Saturday, as I felt the shift from being mostly in a heightened state of anxiety to one of calm and relaxation for the first time in 14 plus months, I thought of my poem The Switch.

 The Switch from "Hope is a Garden: Poems and Essays From the 2020 Pandemic":

 

Flip the switch from darkness

from unwell to well-being

dwell with Source.

 

Generate positive thoughts

current of gratitude

dispels doom and gloom.

 

Electrify imagination

in mind’s eye

ignite possibilities!

 

Shockwaves from past

flashbacks

back to the future!

 

Dampen fears

be light hearted.

 

What ifs

glitter and sparkle

light up hope!

 

Rewire recharge

turn on tune in

vibrant optimism.

 

Flip the switch

switch perspective

let the magic begin!

 

I wrote that poem in August of last year. I held onto hope and kept my eye and heart on a future where we would no longer need to wear masks, use hand sanitizer and socially distance from one another. 

We had a glorious run on Saturday -- with no masks since we are fully vaccinated! We loved being fully present and only took one photo of the baby geese who are getting so big:

It was the first run in a very long time that I felt the endorphins kick in and where I flipped the switch from sympathetic nervous system to parasympathetic nervous system ie the rest and digest mode. We read and relaxed after we did yard work and planting following a thorough Spring cleaning of the house.

My power of imagination and writing poetry and essays held me in good stead to navigate the uncharted waters of the pandemic. It feels wonderful to be living in the future I imagined during these past 14 months.

Here's to healing, hope and infinite possibilities of a transformed world.

Be sure to tune into Dreamvisions 7 Radio to hear my conversation with Bernie Siegel, MD on his show Mind Health Matters May 20 and 21st, May 27th and 28th at 12:00am and 12:00pm ET. We talk about my newest book, my journey as a survivor of paralytic polio and trauma, healing, hope and possibilities and how my relationship with Bernie helped me on my journey of transformation since the 1980's.

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.

 

"Hope is a Garden:Poems and Essays From the 2020 Pandemic" along with all of my books to inspire and uplift you is available on Amazon.