Connecting the Dots - Run Bermuda!

Steve Jobs said, “You can't connect the dots looking forward; you can only connect them looking backwards. So you have to trust that the dots will somehow connect in your future. You have to trust in something—your gut, destiny, life, karma, whatever. This approach has never let me down, and it has made all the difference in my life.”

 

Herb Simmons, my volunteer veteran at the VA, once asked me if I'd ever been to Bermuda for a vacation. I smiled and said that I hadn't been on a vacation since my twins were born ten years ago. He told me that I HAD to take a vacation and go to Bermuda! He was a member of the Sea and Surf Anglers Club of Boston. Because Black men were not allowed to compete in international fishing tournaments, they established goodwill tournaments with the Blue Waters Anglers Club of Bermuda.

 

On our first trip to Bermuda, Vince Cann who was one of many of Herb's close friends from Blue Waters, picked us up at the airport. He took us on a tour of the Island, treated us to lunch and showed us the unparalleled Bermudian hospitality we have come to know through the years.

 

Here are photos from the fishing tournaments and Front Street many years ago. They made history with their Goodwill Tournaments and were honored by the Governors of Massachusetts and the Bermuda Premier. 

We'd walk to the docks at the end of the day to watch the boats come in. There would always be a lot of trash talk about who was going to win. The members of the Blue Waters Anglers Club had an advantage since they could fish year round while the Sea and Surf anglers could only fish in summer. The Clubs alternated years between Bermuda and Cape Cod.

 

 

 

 

 

 

To kick off the tournament, the Blue Waters Angler Club hosted a fish fry at their Club located at the very end of Front Street. This is a photo of Herb and me at the fish fry where Dark 'n Stormies and Ginger Beer flowed as easily as the conversations and laughter.

 

 

In January of 2024, we return to our happy place after a 4 year Pandemic hiatus to run the Bermuda 10K and celebrate my healing 16 years after the diagnosis of Post-Polio Syndrome when I was told to prepare to spend the rest of my life in a wheelchair.

 

It's so much fun to connect the dots as we prepare for Bermuda Triangle Challenge weekend 25 years after our first trip to the Island. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Front Street has undergone a dramatic transformation through the years. The Blue Waters Anglers Club was sold. We saw a sign on the building the last time we were there that said they host fish frys every Friday and Saturday night. Sadly, many members of both Clubs have passed on but the memories we made are forever imprinted in our hearts. When once we met up with fishing friends, now we meet up with running friends. 

 

 

Instead of watching the boats come in at the docks, we run around the Island during Bermuda Triangle Challenge Weekend. The Bermudian hospitality and instant friendships forged is a constant along with incredible dinners at the Pickled Onion Restaurant. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I continue to be in awe of how meeting one individual led me to amazing adventures as runnergirl 1953. I could never have connected the dots going forward to one day know that by helping a legally blind veteran with his story about his fishing club, that one day I would be running on the very Island that held treasured memories for him, his family, members of the Blue Waters Angler Club and my family.

I am thrilled and filled with eager anticipation as we get ready for our 2024 Bermuda adventure!

From my heart to yours
In health and wellness,
Mary

Visit my ***NEW*** website to be inspired by my journey. May it ignite a spark within you to go farther than you ever believed you could. Be sure to visit the News and Events Page.

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

Thank you to Mike Reilly for featuring my story on Stories From the Finish Line Sponsored by CURAD Performance Series https://tinyurl.com/bdzhtebj to inspire others.

Be sure to subscribe to the On the Runs podcast for stories of individuals who are fierce and determined to overcome challenges, set goals and crush them. Here is the link to my Episode 56