The rain stopped as I headed out the front door. I peeled off my jacket and didn't even bother to tie it around my waste. It was warm and muggy. I checked my weather app and there was no rain in the forecast. We all know how accurate our weather app is right?
Wearing a singlet and shorts, I smiled feetling gratitude overflow from my heart for the miracle of healing in my life these past 17 years. Tom and Ruth Anne are training together for the Cape Cod Half Marathon. I once again get to enjoy solitude runs. The sprinkles of rain quickly turned to a steady downpour. I started laughing and threw my arms open wide with joyful and youthful exuberance.
Having contracted paralytic polio at the age of 5 followed by enduring years of abuse at the hands of family members, I never knew the joy of splashing in puddles feeling free in my body. Simple childhood pleasures were a challenge for me. BUT at the age of 53, I was given the gift of the diagnosis of Post-Polio Syndrome that was a wake up call for me. After asking for Divine Guidance, poetry began flowing out of my soul.
I had a dream one night early on in my health and wellness journey that I came out of my leg brace and was dancing in the rain like Gene Kelly splashing in the puddles. That dream gave birth to the above poem, "Come Out and Play." My poetry helped to heal the trauma from my childhood and create a future very different than the one Western Medicine predicted for me.
During Saturday's run I thought about Tony Robbins quote. "It's never too late to have a happy childhood." There were unavoidable puddles and mud. I felt the gravel from the Reservoir path hit the back of my legs. There were a few other runners on the path and we exchanged smiles as we passed. It would have been awesome to have windshield wipers for my glasses. I took them off since the rain had completely covered them! My singlet stuck to my skin and needless to say, my shorts were soaked. I thought about the contrast between being delighted by a run in the warm summer rain and when it's that chilly feel it to my bones fall or spring rain when the soaked clothes weigh me down.
What a blessing to feel light and free embracing the gift of being able to run through the rain. There was a special kind of beauty that's different than when the sun is sparkling on the blue water:
There was so much laughter and joy in my heart as I crossed the threshold of the doorway to my home; a home that 17 years ago I was told I would need to adapt or move to a ranch. I know that without the gifts of the challenges I experienced, I would not experience the depths of joy and gratitude that I do savoring life's seemingly simple pleasures. The immense joy and gratitude I experienced after a fabulous 5K in the rain stayed with me for the entire weekend.
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. Be sure to visit the News and
Events Page with links to podcast interviews, speaking engagements and
where you can find my incredibly inspirational story. My interview with
the amazing On the Runs podcast team of Erika Hamel and Eric Knuuttunen
is Episode 56. Be sure to subscribe and download on your favorite podcast platform and subscribe to their YouTube channel.
Proud to BU is a podcast highlighting the illustrious achievements of Boston University Alumni. Here is the link to my episode.
My books that pack powerful messages of healing, hope and possibilities are available on Amazon My 7th book, "A Most Unlikely Runner:Inspiration From The Heart of a Warrior" is receiving rave reviews and is a selection of the WBZ News Radio Book Club.
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