and stay tuned to your DGS (Divine Guidance System)
We did not expect turbulence in our first miles of 2025 but we fastened our seat belts, locked in a lot of gratitude and held each other close. Ruth Anne was recovering from an infected cyst on her back. The last Sunday of 2024, we spent the morning in Urgent Care to have a procedure done but we still got out in the afternoon to get in our miles. With the fog, puddles, and patches of ice around the Reservoir, we opted for an out and back route on Beacon Street. On the way back, I stopped as I saw an angel on the sidewalk. It was the exact same angel Ruth Anne had spotted a few months ago in almost the same spot! It was a sign that we are Divinely protected. A message that would hold us in good stead as we navigated the last week of 2024 and the first week of 2025.
Ruth Anne and I had a wonderful run on New Year's Eve. Tom had been ill for several days with a hacking cough and he needed to stay home and rest. The cough worsened as the week wore on but he went back to work on the 2nd. He took Friday afternoon off from work. I hadn't slept in a few nights because of his cough. I felt depleted despite my best efforts with meditation and self-care so I opted to try to get some sleep downstairs on the couch. I put on a series of visualization meditations to boost my immune system. I heard grunts and a thump and ran upstairs to find Tom on the floor with an altered mental status and a temp of 102.9. My heart raced and I called 911. Ruth Anne and I went into crisis mode getting information for the first responders and praying that Tom would be okay.
Once we learned that they had ruled out a stroke and would continue tests throughout the early morning hours, we came home to pray and get some rest.
Fortunately I had access to Tom's on line medical record and learned that he had Influenza A. The altered mental status was due to encephalopathy due to the virus. We all breathed a sigh of relief that he would need lots of rest and hydration, but would make a full recovery!
On Saturday, Ruth Anne wasn't feeling well She was running a low grade temp with ear pain. She had to change providers because her insurance would no longer cover her previous pcp. Ordinarily we would have gone to Urgent Care close to our home. I stayed close to my DGS to figure out what the next best steps would be. I wasn't feeling well but knew that I was feeling the best out of the 3 of us. Ruth Anne started feeling better by the afternoon but when she woke up Sunday morning, she suspected she needed antibiotics.
There was one appointment at 8:45 at urgent care, but I needed to have breakfast remembering how important it is to put on my own oxygen mask. At first Ruth Anne said she wouldn't take the appointment but I told her to call back and she could use an Uber. It was definitely a communication from my DGS. Fortunately the appointment was still available.
Ruth Anne had an amazing physician who suspected she had a sinus and ear infection but had to rule out COVID and the flu. They were able to fill her prescription at the clinic pharmacy. We spent the rest of the day resting and feeling gratitude deep in our hearts for good health care, insurance, Uber, antibiotics, caring professionals, a warm home, good food and being together as a family despite feeling under the weather. We were so grateful for the outpouring of prayers from our fellow passengers.
On Monday, my body experienced congestion and a nagging cough but no fever and no signs of any bacterial infections. I did, however, need to reschedule the recording of my podcast interview for The Optimism Institute. My only choice was to surrender to the circumstances and know that everything happens in Divine Timing. Bill Burke's Virtual Assistant is a delight and made the process of rescheduling the interview so easy. With meditation, visualization and rest, I am getting ready for my talk next Wednesday at Cohasset Elder Affairs. I've experienced spasms which has affected my speech; it has happened before when I get a rare upper respiratory virus and is a result of Post-Polio Syndrome. I am bringing compassion and kindness to my body realizing that the turbulence has set into motion this cascade of symptoms. I use my mantras and affirmations trusting once again in my body's tremendous capacity to heal. I focus on feeling grateful for all my body has given me through the years and continues to give me. I remind myself of how I have witnessed my body's process of transformation and healing and most recently, watching the transformation of the once infected cyst on Ruth Anne's back be reduced to a small scar! I feel Divine Love course through my cells riding the waves of emotions and physical symptoms as I eagerly anticipate seeing the seat belt sign turn off.
I look forward to getting back on the roads but know that I need to create time and space for healing in the wake of these recent stressors and upper respiratory infection.
I appreciate that the turbulence we experienced is relatively minor compared to what the people of LA are going through. My gratitude is intensified as I focus on all the blessings in our lives. The other night, Tom and I shared how what we went through could have been so much worse if... We took it to the theater of the absurd and laughed so hard we went into coughing fits.
2025 may not have begun as we hoped and visualized. We certainly did not anticipate trips to the ER, Urgent Care and an upper respiratory virus wreaking temporary havoc with speech and spasms but with the throttle up on gratitude, a close connection to my DGS and being surrounded by the love and warmth of our fellow passengers, we are once again at cruising altitude feeling blessed and grateful.
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. Be sure to visit the News and Events Page with links to podcast interviews, speaking engagements, where you can find my incredibly inspirational story and upcoming events.
On January 15th, I will be speaking at Cohasset Elder Affairs to share my journey and have a book signing details on my website.
Proud to BU is a podcast highlighting the illustrious achievements of Boston University Alumni. Here is the link to my episode.
