Center Stage

 

 

When I wrote the poem, "Center Stage" I was in the early stages of my healing journey after the diagnosis of Post-Polio Syndrome in Spring of 2007. I was getting ready to take a leap of faith and leave behind my award winning career as a VA social worker to heal my life.

Center Stage   

 

She waited in the wings

waiting for wings to soar

moment by moment

step by step

Spirit moves in

no longer the understudy for someone else’s life.

 

Waiting to dance

sing her heart out

celebrating

survival…

 

Music maestro

spotlight

It’s Showtime!

 

I imagined myself healthy, healed, whole and running free despite having been told I should prepare to spend the rest of my life in a wheelchair, wearing a leg brace and being in a deconditioned physical state. I saw beyond all outward appearances through the gift of poetry. My pen became my divining rod for healing. When I dreamed about taking center stage, it was a metaphor for emerging from the devastating effects of childhood paralytic polio and trauma.

 

I took center stage on many occasions to share my miraculous journey of transformation but this moment, in February of 2020 at the Hyannis Marathon Weekend Pre-Race Pasta Dinner, was one of my favorites. I shared the podium with Boston Marathon Champion Bill Rodgers!

 

 

 

As I sat in a leg brace, using a wheelchair at times for mobility, a cane and having been told to prepare for a rapid decline as I aged possibly needing a feeding tube and spending the rest of my life in a wheelchair, I had no idea that on April 20th, 2009 I would cross the finish line of the 2009 Boston Marathon.  

 

 

On a cold dark day in February of 2007, I got still and asked for Divine Guidance. The poem, “Running the Race” flowed out of me:

Running the Race   

Early summer 1959 my kindergarten year
everyone around me filled with nervous fear.
Despite the Salk vaccine hope polio would disappear
the polio virus crept right up and knocked me in the rear.

Dancing all around the gym feeling free just like a bird
I dropped to the ground just like a stone and no one said a word.
The pain it was so searing-the diagnosis even worse
"It's polio" the doctor said...he was abrupt and terse.

Called one of the 'lucky ones' I had a 'mild case'
but with the other athletes I could never keep their pace.
Miss Holly physical therapist, curly hair and a warm, broad smile
it tempered the pain of being apart - to walk I'd take awhile.

I always wore those 'special' shoes the kids they poked and teased
with no support and much abuse with childhood I wasn’t pleased.
But put nose to the grindstone and learned all that I could
I couldn't kick a ball but my grades were always good.

Years went by and no more thought to polio did I give
I accepted the limp, everything else and decided my life I would live.
But symptoms of weakness and muscle pain did grow
I kept a stoic face hoping no one else would know.

Life no longer was my own I struggled through each day
suffered in silence, alone and afraid tried to keep depression at bay.
And with the grace of glorious God my world it opened wide
I discovered there was a Post Polio team and they were on my side.                                            

Sought out paths for healing and my spirit flew free
for the first time in life, I could truly be me.
The chains are gone and possibilities abound
I'm a tree with my roots planted firmly in ground.

Using wheelchair to travel, set limits on what I could do
resulted in joy to realize I could live life anew.
Celebrated my body-creaks, groans and need for a brace
while in my mind I focused on winning a 10K race.

I'm now off the sidelines, no need to sit and whine
so much gratitude fills my heart and love and beauty shine.
After all these years I can join the loving human race
I exceed all expectations and now I set the pace.

Although I had never run a day in my life, in my mind’s eye I was running a race.
Poems poured out of me as though a spigot had been turned on in mind, body and soul. 

I imagined myself dancing in the rain without my leg brace and running free.

After intensive outpatient rehab at Spaulding Hospital and partnering with a personal trainer, I declared in February 2008, that I wanted to run the 2009 Boston Marathon to raise money for Spaulding Rehab. And so I did!

Believing is seeing. Dream big and see where the Universe leads. I had no idea that while I was imagining shining the spotlight on myself, center stage, that I would, one day, be center stage as a motivational speaker sharing my powerful message of healing, hope and infinite possibilities. As Albert Einstein said “Imagination is everything. It is the preview of life’s coming attractions.”

 

 

 

 

From my heart to yours
In health and wellness,
Mary

 Visit my website at https://marymcmanus.com to be inspired by my journey. May it ignite a spark within you to go farther than you ever believed you could.

My books that pack powerful messages of healing, hope and possibilities are available on Amazon  https://www.amazon.com/~/e/B0047OFIQ6

 

The Hills Are Alive!

 

Last Saturday,  February 18th, marked 58 days until the Boston Marathon 2023. After not experiencing Boston for two years during the pandemic, in the days leading up to the Boston Marathon, there is a deeper sense of gratitude and exhilaration. This year marks the 10th anniversary of the Boston Marathon Bombings. We were so blessed to have been able to evacuate from the Mandarin Oriental Hotel Boston where we were celebrating our 2009 Boston Marathon run with the Race for Rehab Team. There is a heightened awareness of this anniversary throughout social media and in the energy on the Newton Hills.

It was only in the 20's Saturday morning when we got up to get our Saturday run on. We've been spoiled by this winter's mild temperatures. Rather than risking a brisk wind around the Reservoir, we decided to go to the Newton Hills. Even though we got a late start, there were many runners out on the Hills training for Boston and their energy ignites something deep within me. Although my endurance running days are behind me, I am able to fire up the feelings of when I ran Boston in 2009 and went on to run three Bermuda Half Marathons in 2016, 2017 and 2018. Since Ruth Anne's next Half Marathon isn't until May, Half Marathon #2 in her Trilogy of Half Marathons for Victory Programs, she wanted to run with me for the first 3 miles of her 6 mile run. 

She helped me to push my pace as we felt invigorated and exhilarated being out on the Hills. We passed the Dreamfar Team in training and saw Charity Teams' water stops.

Right before the Johnny Kelley Statue, we saw these photos:

We recalled the time we were coming back from Puerto Rico in January of 2009. We needed a break from training in the brutal New England cold. What were the chances that Ruth Anne would strike up a conversation with the two people sitting next to her on our return flight home, bemoaning how there was another storm on the way and we had 18 miles on the training plan for Boston. It was Johnny's nephew Tom Kelley and his wife Dottie. We became instant friends and exchanged information. A few weeks later we received this letter along with an Adidas poster that Johnny signed that now graces our living room.

We have so many joyous memories of our running adventures and have been blessed to meet so many amazing people through the sport of running. 

We spotted Dominic Herard who we met at a race several years ago in Rhode Island. We continued the friendship in social media and in real life. During the pandemic we kept talking about how we eagerly anticipated hugs on Heartbreak Hill again. A few weeks ago I met up with him on the Hills and today he embraced Team McManus. Of course we had to take a selfie:

He finished his run and we finished 3 miles back at our car. Tom and Ruth Anne went on to do their 3 miles at their pace. I hydrated, refueled and stretched basking in the glow of a great run. I felt a deep sense of joy and freedom embracing the cold air grateful for the glorious sunshine.

I read, and texted with Tom and Ruth Anne munching on pretzels. I delighted at the sound of runners' feet and their conversations as they passed the car. I reflected on how deeply grateful and blessed I am for the miracle of healing in my life.  I felt freedom and joy coursing through my cells knowing how every step is a gift, every mile is a blessing wondering what would my life have been like had I succumbed to the diagnosis and prognosis of Post-Polio Syndrome. What if I wouldn't have answered the call to run the 2009 Boston Marathon? I would have missed out on so much of life and meeting people who have become like family.  

I would have to say that since the pandemic, there is a unique energy surrounding training runs and races. There is a special sense of unity and familiarity among runners. We share in each other's triumphs and support each other through the tough miles that life inevitably brings.

The Newton Hills are alive once more as we countdown to the Boston Marathon. Being a part of the running community fuels my sense of vibrancy and being fully alive able to tackle the uphill climbs in life while feeling the joy of whisking through the downhills with ease.

From my heart to yours
In health and wellness,
Mary

 Visit my website to be inspired by my journey. May it ignite a spark within you to go farther than you ever believed you could.

My books that pack powerful messages of healing, hope and possibilities are available on Amazon 

 

Monday Miles Musings

  

During Monday's miles,  I was mesmerized by the Reservoir's flow of water with part of the Rezzie being frozen. 

What a joy to be celebrating 16 years of healing after the diagnosis of Post-Polio Syndrome, a progressive neuromuscular disease by Western Medicine standards. How amazing that 16 years ago in February of 2007, I got still and asked for Divine Guidance knowing I was at a crossroads in my life. How miraculous that I opened the portal to healing with my pen that became my divining rod for healing harnessing the power of the mind/body connection through writing poetry.

On Monday's run, I reflected on the fact that when my mother was the same age as I am (turning 70 in December) she was in an Assisted Living Facility. Yet here I am vibrant and feeling fantastic. The diagnosis of a progressive neuromuscular disease was one of the greatest gifts I received. I became 'old' at the age of 53 and was told to expect an accelerated decline in functioning as I aged.

 

I was fascinated by the flow of water. It was a beautiful metaphor for when part of me was frozen and trapped inside of my body from the residual effects of childhood paralytic polio and abuse at the hands of family members. Once I got still and connected to Source, the life force within me was able to flow again! The past was no match for the power of the Divine. Tethered to that power through poetry, meditation and taking action to support transformation, I went on to run the 2009 Boston Marathon having many adventures as a runnergirl.

Four years ago today I published "The Adventures of Runnergirl 1953."

Two of my favorite moments from "Adventures" were Bermuda Marathon Weekend and Hyannis Marathon Weekend in 2016. 

 

 

 In December of 2014, my left knee sustained a serious knee injury. I was told, as a survivor of paralytic polio, that I should never have started running and I needed to stop or cap my distance at a 5K. I was also told to prepare for a total knee replacement in a few years. I ran the Bermuda Half Marathon in January of 2016 and the Hyannis 10K in February. I went on to run the Bermuda Half Marathon in 2017 and 2018. 

 

 

 

 The body has a tremendous capacity to heal and transform when we harness the power of Divine Intelligence that resides within every cell in our Being.

 

 

 

 

 

 

I feel more vibrant and healthy today than I did when I was 53 years old. One of my favorite books is "Counter Clockwise" by Ellen Langer. In it she talks about what happens when we open our minds to what’s possible, instead of presuming impossibility, and how that can lead to better health—at any age. She presents research to demonstrate how our mind set and body set around aging affects the aging process.

During my Monday miles musings, I reflected on my miracle of healing. I have forged a path out of my past healing the once devastating effects of childhood paralytic polio and  trauma running into my later years with joy, passion and purpose.

From my heart to yours
In health and wellness,
Mary

Be sure to visit my website to be inspired by my journey of transformation.

My books that pack powerful messages of healing, hope and possibilities are available on Amazon