During this morning's meditation, as the sun shined brightly through my bedroom window, I took deep breaths. Two feet of snow fell yesterday as the Blizzard of 2022 gripped the region. We bundled up and went out a couple of times to feel the refreshment of cold air and snow pelting our faces. Tom used our snowblower to dig us out. I hoped that the forecast for "feel likes below zero" temps would be wrong and that our street would be plowed and treated for us to be able to get out for a run.
Before checking my phone for weather, emails and social media posts, I did a Meta Meditation sending out well wishes for myself, my loved ones and all Sentient Beings everywhere. I felt Spirit's presence speak to me, "Feel as if it were Spring!" I felt my heart open and gratitude flood every cell of my Being. We made it through the storm. Electricity stayed on. There was absolutely no storm damage despite blizzard force winds and snow falling at times at 2-3 inches per hour.
I asked myself, 'How would I feel if I woke up to a beautiful Spring morning?'
As if on cue, Jamie meowed and came bounding onto our bed. She stretched with her whole body and I followed suit ready to greet the day.
After the diagnosis of Post Polio Syndrome, I lived my life as if I were already healed. Despite all appearances to the contrary, and having been told to prepare to spend the rest of my life in a wheelchair, I imagined myself running free, dancing, splashing in puddles, forgiving the past and being grateful for the gifts of the challenges I faced. With fierce determination, I worked in physical therapy and then with a personal trainer to get to the finish line of the 2009 Boston Marathon and beyond. I learned the healing power of imagination, of writing poetry and the body's tremendous capacity to heal once I ignited the spark of my Spirit that was crying out for healing.
When the winter of our lives bear down, it is easy to forget that we have the power to choose how we feel whatever the weather and whatever our current circumstances may be. I imagine a time when we no longer wear masks and the headlines report the pandemic's end as they did with polio.
Although it feels like 2 degrees outside right now and black ice lines our street, I feel the warmth of the sun through the windows. I imagine seeing bare ground again and our tulips poking their heads through the garden once more. I see the buds on the trees and the leaves forming a canopy of love in the 'little field' across from our home. It always seems as though they magically and spontaneously burst into bloom yet we know there is a slow process of transformation.
I was in the deep dark winter of my life in December of 2006 and yet I found a way to imagine myself being in the Springtime of my life. I was 53 years old when I found my way to the sport of running. I wrote poetry and visualized my Boston Marathon run from taking those first steps as a newbie runner to how it would feel to cross the finish line on April 20 of 2009.
We are so blessed to be living at this time when research has done studies to prove the power of the imagination and its effects on the body. The mind and body cannot distinguish between what is in our imagination and what is real.
Despite the mounds of snow, the barren trees, the temps on my weather app all saying we are still in the depths of winter, my thoughts and feelings warm my heart and soul as if it were Spring.
Seasons
They’re called seasons
for a reason
reminders of impermanence
mirroring ebb and flow of life
challenging us to find beauty in winter’s barren trees
spying berry bush frosted with capping of snow
finding delight in rosy red cheeks
hot cocoa to warm body and soul.
Miracle of buds herald Spring’s arrival
teasing us with winter’s end
no season lasts forever!
As colors burst forth layers shed
anticipation of carefree summer days
savoring sensations
sun’s warmth melts away winters’ woes
deep breaths of summer’s sweetness
yearning for time to stand still
basking in glorious sunsets of a late evening stroll.
As days shorten once more
vibrant greens begin to pale
opportunity for rebirth in Autumn’s splendor
resilience realized
harvesting Hope in transformation
rising to embrace all the seasons of my life.
From my heart to yours
In health and wellness,
Mary
Be sure to visit my website at https://marymcmanus.com to learn about my journey to health and wellness in the wake of paralytic polio and trauma
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