Standing Tall

 

The diagnosis of Post-Polio Syndrome in December of 2006 was a wake up call for me. My mind, body and soul were crying out for healing from the effects of childhood trauma and paralytic polio. I discovered the gift of poetry in my soul, took a leap of faith 15 years ago leaving my award winning social work career and went off to heal my life.

Only at the time, I had no idea what that meant.

I went on to run the 2009 Boston Marathon, had many adventures as runnergirl1953 (the year I was born) and healed and transformed my life from social worker to runner, motivational speaker, poet and author. 

I wrote Feel the Heal: An Anthology of Poems to Heal Your Life and my Trilogy of Transformation not intending to write another book until the Pandemic happened two years ago. Hope is a Garden: Poems and Essays From the 2020 Pandemic was borne out of quarantine and a chaotic time in our history.

Running, meditation and being a a part of Dr. David Hamilton's Personal Development Club along with continuing to write poems and essays helped me to focus on hope, optimism, faith, continued healing and growth.

In last week's Personal Development Club, David gave us a booster shot of exercises to improve self-esteem and self-love. We are all experiencing pandemic weariness and that weariness can take a toll on one's capacity to stand tall as Divine Beings. It was exactly what I needed as we continue to emerge from the pandemic and return to experiencing our place in a world very different than the world we lived in before March of 2020. Harnessing the power of the mind/body connection which is bi-directional, David gave us exercises and a meditation/visualization to boost confidence. He referenced Amy Cuddy's TED Talk about body language and his book I Heart Me available on Amazon.

I've been practicing my meditations/visualizations to embody strength and confidence and release fear and anxiety reminding myself how worthy I am to receive life's blessings. This poem was borne out of that time of visualization/meditation using the phrase that flowed through David during our session, "plant your feet in the soil of self-esteem":

Standing Tall

Feel the vibration of love
quaking in fear no more
tears water the garden of my soul
washing away past
planting feet in soil of self esteem.
Roots deep
firm in faith
though winds may blow
I bend with ease and grace
I know my place as Divine
radiant Being.
Speaking my Truths
live and let live
others may turn a blind eye
no matter
weeding worries of acceptance
bury seeds of judgement resentment
forgiveness.
Worthy to receive
joy in giving
Essence of who I am
essential to feeling free
a shift
from withering wall flower
unwavering
bathing in Truth of my existence
expecting miracles
I blossom and grow. 

As one who experienced severe abuse as a child after contracting paralytic polio, there are times when I need a booster shot of self-love especially during these unprecedented times.

Harnessing the power of the mind/body connection, I re-ignite my fiery Spirit standing tall to share my gifts and my powerful messages; soul lessons learned through my life experiences as a thriver and champion.

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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My books to motivate, uplift and inspire you are available on Amazon