This Week in Training: Challenge and Change

Happy New Year! Two months from today, Tom and I will toe the starting line of the 45th Hyannis Marathon Weekend 10K. We will also be getting ready to celebrate his 74th birthday on 3/2 which is also the 49th anniversary of when we met. On 3/4, we celebrate 48 years of marriage. After wrapping up last week's training, I was reflecting on the challenges I've known and overcome since I was only 5 1/2 years old beginning with contracting paralytic polio at age 5 and enduring years of abuse at the hands of family members until my father's death by suicide when I was 17 years old. After the diagnosis of Post-Polio Syndrome, I realized that without those challenges, I would not be the woman I am today. When I discovered the gift of poetry in my soul in February of 2007, I became aware of the gifts wrapped up in the challenges. I often say that out of the rubble of my past, I dug deep to discover the treasure of who I was always meant to be. 

 

Tom and I weren't sure what route we were going to be able to run for last Saturday's 5K after a snow storm on Friday. The sun was shining and the roads were relatively well plowed with salt and sand. Filled with grit, determination and layers of running gear, we set out on our street to see where we could safely run. The temperature felt like 5 degrees at the start of our run and 10 degrees at the end. The Town was just in the process of digging out a path to the Reservoir/Beacon Street. We stayed on back roads that were clear but we had to do hills to find safe streets on which to run. I embraced the discomfort of the cold and the challenge of the hills celebrating how, with the diagnosis of Post-Polio Syndrome I was told to NOT go out in Winter or if I did, I should use a cane with an ice gripper. One fall could mean 'the end' for me since I was presumed to have osteoporosis as a survivor of polio. As an aside, I did have several falls on training runs. Despite landing flat on my pelvis one time, I remained perfectly in tact. 

 

Saturday's run was equal parts discomfort and challenging, and joy, exhilaration and celebration. We had brief exchanges with people shoveling. The storm brought 3 inches of light fluffy snow that seemed to bring out childlike joy and wonder that happens with the first snowfall in Boston when it can be easily cleared away and has kept its pristine white layer on branches and lawns. I reflected on how much of life I would have missed if I would have taken the diagnosis sitting down.

 

Mindfulness was front and center as we navigated partially cleared streets and when plows would pass. We got 'sprayed' with salt from the plows and rather than absorb the discomfort we laughed and expressed gratitude that the streets were being cleared. I was reminded of the poem "Courage" I wrote on the road to the 2009 Boston Marathon.

Courage   

The fear of ice and snow and slush embedded in my soul
a training run in winter - the path to Being whole.
A winter scene - Jamaica Pond - a feast for eyes' delight
to witness nature's splendor and behold this glorious sight.

A leaf - a tiny dancer - skating free without a sound
God's breath directs her movements as She guides her twirling 'round.
Families of ducks decide to walk or take a dip
a comedy of errors into icy water slip.

Branches now bejeweled though bare bend with loving Grace
sparkling diamonds' anchor water's surface hold in place.
God's hand a glove of glistening snow hugs rocks along the wall
their heads peek out reminding me I'm answering God's call.

A scene I'd never witness if I let my fear take hold
courage triumphed, steppin' out with footsteps sure and bold.
Knowing that the pain subsides and Spirit can prevail
the Marathon is beckoning - through those miles I shall sail.

Tom and I relished the warmth of our home as we reversed the process of peeling off layers and getting into warm, dry clothes. To continue my birthday celebration, we went to Legal Seafood for refueling. The holiday decorations made it a festive lunch while the music was from the 60's, 70's and 80's added to the ambiance of our celebration.

 

Monday's strength training was inspired by this quote from Tommy Lasorda:  

Even though Tom was on vacation, we still got up at 7am to get in a before breakfast workout. We took extra time to stretch and challenge ourselves to complement our running. What a treat to have a leisurely breakfast. 

 

On Tuesday, we set the alarm for 8 since Tom was on vacation and we wanted the day to "warm up a bit," but still wanted to get in morning miles. We had breakfast before our run which helped to prepare us to embrace the frigid air.  It was a felt like 6 degrees with wind chill morning. We felt particularly badass getting up and out the door to get in our morning miles. One of my cold weather running tricks is to put vaseline on my face and on the bottom of my feet before getting my socks on. Saturday's miles held us in good stead for taking on Tuesday's relatively flat run. We were able to do our miles with an out and back around the Reservoir run. Miraculously, the wind had once again swept away the torrential downpours after the temperatures rose on Monday and then plummeted over night.

Tom and I were psyched to do a New Year's Day run on Thursday, but Mother Nature had other plans. A dusting of snow was what had been in the forecast, but we woke up to a little over an inch of snow. The streets had not been treated. I'd seen a post from Meb Keflezhigi about training in the winter. He said it is always better to be safe than risking a fall. Heading to the gym for an extra strength training session is the wisest choice. A front moved in that brought a snow squall and a wintry mix while we were doing our workout in our home gym and knew we had made the right choice!

 
We cranked up our playlist, sweat a lot and welcomed in the New Year with a rigorous 45 minute workout followed by a delicious nutritious leisurely breakfast. Tom and I carry our passion, persistence, purpose, commitment and dedication to training and our health and aging strong from 2025 into the New Year. 

Garmin even gave me this badge:

 When training for Boston aside from marathon aches and pains, I would experience phantom pains from polio and trauma. When brought to the surface, the wounds can be tended to and healed. After the epic 7.2 miles on 12/20 to celebrate 72 years, in addition to the incredible strength I felt, experiencing muscle soreness I hadn't felt in years (since the 2018 Bermuda Half Marathon) I noticed trauma memories coming to the surface in different parts of my body.  I cherished the parts of me that were expressing these wounds sending love and compassion to nurse myself to healing these wounds and the beliefs that accompanied them. It is only by repeatedly challenging myself that I have the opportunity to change leaving behind all that went before. 

This training cycle is giving me the opportunity to heal more deeply than ever before. 

 

Were I just maintaining with 5K's or training only for the 10K rather than challenging myself with repeated 6 milers and that epic 7.2 miles, I would not be experiencing this glorious journey of transformation. Last year was the year of the snake when I shed a lot of old beliefs and relationships. I discovered how to love, value and honor myself in deeper and more meaningful ways. There's much I leave in 2025 and much that I carry forth with me from the lessons and blessings of the year. Out of the challenges of 2025, I've been blessed to grow, look for the weekly wins and feel overwhelming gratitude for the changes I've made. In letting go of people and things that no longer served me, I've been blessed with wonderful new connections and experiences. I leave 2025 much stronger physically, emotionally and spiritually than when it began.

 

Here's to 2026 and the year of the Horse!

 

In health and wellness - Mary

Visit my ***NEW*** website to learn how poetry, optimism, gratitude and the mind/body connection helped me to transform my life. After having been told in December 2006 that I should prepare to spend the rest of my life in a wheelchair, I went on to cross the finish line of the 2009 Boston Marathon and have many adventures as runnergirl 1953. Be sure to visit the recently updated News and Events Page for links to podcast interviews, speaking engagements and where you can find my incredibly inspirational story.

My Trilogy of Transformation chronicles my journey from having been told to prepare to spend the rest of my life in a wheelchair with the diagnosis of Post-Polio Syndrome, a progressive neuromuscular disease by Western Medicine standards to a woman transformed through the sport of running. Take a journey into a world of healing, hope and possibilities with my 7 books, available on Amazon. My 7th book, "A Most Unlikely Runner: Inspiration From The Heart of a Warrior" is a selection of the WBZ News Radio Book Club and Bill Rodgers Running Center Billy's Bookshelf: Recommended Reading for Every Runner. You will be inspired by my strength, courage, resilience, determination and overcoming the inevitable setbacks that come with a journey to health and wellness. 

 

 

 I was recently the guest on The Optimism Institute Blue Sky Podcast. 
"Mary McManus has never had it easy. As a kindergartner, she was a victim of polio just a short time before the vaccine was introduced. She also faced trauma in her home life but somehow managed to persevere and overcome these and still more obstacles throughout her life. Today, Mary is an inspiring author, poet, motivational speaker, and finisher of the Boston Marathon." Here is the link to the Episode Website. Be sure to subscribe on your favorite podcast platform and on YouTube.

 

Reach out to me at maryamcmanus@gmail.com if you'd like me to speak to your organization or group to inspire them with what's possible despite all appearances to the contrary; how one finds strength, resilience and determination in the face of seemingly impossible odds.

 

 

 

 

 

What Gives Me Hope!

 

In the wake of last week's election, what gives me hope? I have trust that we can meet any moment when we harness all the power within us as individuals and collectively. 

I saw this post on Reasons to be Cheerful Instagram page: We believe the collective impact of practical problem-solving is greater than any one person’s power. That why our election coverage hits a little different, and why, a few weeks ago, we asked you to answer an open-ended question:

No matter who wins, ___________________. Visit their Instagram page to read a beautiful poem that is the compilation of responses. 

After the election they posted,  Yes, it matters who wins.
But maybe what matters even more is how millions of people, on any given day, choose to live, work, fight and advocate for positive change. Maybe the cumulative effect of countless individuals, striving to improve the world around them, is larger than any decision made from behind a big wooden desk.

What gives me hope is what my friend Eliza posted on Facebook:

Although the outcome of the election was clearly not as many of us hoped for, Kamala Harris started a powerful movement in a very short time that I believe will gain momentum in the coming weeks, months and years to come. I have hope not based on how many seats are red or blue in Congress but by the outpouring of amazing energy at her rallies and rallies on her behalf all across the Nation. I have hope because of the people around me who are hopeful and optimistic despite all appearances right now; people who refuse to relinquish dreams and a vision for what's possible.

Science has proven time and again that we are powerful creators. I know this from my own journey. Just because something has not manifested in the now does not mean that it will not happen or that something even greater may emerge as a result of what got set in motion during the few months leading up to election day.

What gives me hope is this quote from Margaret Mead:

 Back in September, I saw a post from Lee Woodruff. She was a guest on the Optimism Institute's Blue Sky podcast. I was drawn to it like a magnet although I didn't seem to have the time to get to listening to it and reaching out to the podcast about being a guest until two weeks ago. Everything in Divine Timing. I listened to Lee's interview. I followed Blue Sky on Instagram and it was just what I needed to get through pre and post-election stress. 

I listened to Bill's latest episode and heard his guest share her definition of optimism. Yesterday morning I woke up at 5:30am with a knot in my stomach. A rather common occurrence since last Wednesday. I began my meditation as I do every morning in the quiet hours usually before anyone else gets up to clear my energy and set my intention for the day. I was so surprised when a poem flowed through me:

Optimism is a Way of Being

Optimism a way of being
buoyed by hope
beam from the lighthouse
quells fears
piercing darkness of current appearances
life raft keeping us afloat in troubled waters
Worrying makes us weary
sapping strength
din drowns out possibilities
What ifs what ifs
swirling thoughts in a riptide of doom
What if the tide turns
Tethered together
joining hands and hearts
like minded travelers
Inner compass to guide
Journey together
weathering storms
anchored in truth
drawing strength
Right is might
riding waves of uncertainty
Unwavering in love
swells of kindness and care
holding on to each other
navigating our way until the rainbow appears 

It was inspired by Simon Sinek’s quote  “Optimism is different than positive - and it's definitely not naive. Optimism is the belief that the future is positive, that there's a light at the end of the tunnel and we're heading there, together.”

 

In the coming days, weeks months and if need be years, you will find me harping on hope as I wrote about in this poem from Hope is a Garden: Poems and Essays From the Pandemic:

Harping on Hope

Symphony of positivity
playful joyful
Harping on hope
harbingers of hope
seek and you will find

Darkness and despair disperse
divisions derisions cease
Tuning to Universe’s harmony
vibrations of Love
Lovely images dancing
seeing with Third Eye
Foretelling vibrant scenes
a world healed

Rejoicing
uplifting voices
Joining as One
We rise!

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.

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.

Emerging From 2021 and Getting Ready for 2022

 

There are so many quotes about letting go, moving forward and embracing a New Year. Many of them have negative connotations such as you can't reach for something new if your hands are full of yesterday's junk. Louise Hay's above quote is a much gentler and kinder way to look at letting go of what no longer serves us and opening ourselves to embracing the new.

There are many traditions that I've had to let go of during the pandemic. This time of year would be a time to prepare to celebrate the holidays and my Christmas birthday while getting ready for our annual winter trip to Bermuda. This is the 2nd year that we will forego that tradition. We will embark on a new tradition this year, hearing Voices of Hope Boston singing Christmas Carols at Jordan's Furniture Enchanted Village on December 18th.

Tom and Ruth Anne are training for the Providence Marathon in May of 2022 to benefit Victory Programs and Victory Programs ReVision Urban Farm. It's their first marathon training and fundraising endeavor since Tom ran Boston in 2011 for Boston Childrens Hospital. Since I ran the 2009 Boston Marathon, I have opted to be support crew.  A once and done marathon for me was a great accomplishment! I am so thrilled to experience the excitement of bringing the community together for great causes, to hear from people we've not connected with in awhile and to watch Tom and Ruth Anne run with heart to once again go the distance of the marathon. As of this writing, she is $408 away from her first milestone fundraising goal of $3000. Here is the fundraising link. It is heartwarming to experience the cheers and well wishes of our running family as we did when Team McManus ran the 2009 Boston Marathon. We are all hungry for feel good stories and Ruth Anne's miraculous journey is one that is embraced by our village.

We usually have a slate of races on our calendar as we bid farewell to an old year and head into a New Year including a Jingle Bell run. We have decided to forego the Jingle Bell run this year and stay focused on marathon training. We are not sure if there will be another Camp Hyannis aka Hyannis Marathon Weekend which was our last event before the pandemic in March of 2020 but are going to let go of that tradition in 2022. We are hopeful that the Falmouth Road Race and the Cape Cod Marathon will take place in August and October and are excited to return to our happy place for a race-cation, and are very excited about exploring Providence Rhode Island, a new race destination.

There are relationships that we released in 2021 as the pandemic helped us to discern who and what we want to have in our lives. All experiences were an important part of the tapestry of our lives and it's important to honor the importance they served at the time.

Other relationships have flowed into our lives that have brought wonderful rich, new experiences. I was blessed to be a guest on several podcasts to discuss Hope is a Garden: Poems and Essays From the 2020 Pandemic. Visit my News and Events page on my website to hear these inspirational interviews of how hope, and writing essays and poetry were critical to navigating the pandemic. Dan Thibeault, podcast producer for The Cardinal Cafe and Live Your Best Life, was inspired to reach out to me to create an audio book of my poems set to music. Together we were inspired to create, "Read Out for a Cure: Hope is a Garden - Forty Poems From the Pandemic to Uplift and Inspire You." 

In September, Tom realized it was time to retire from his position at Boston College and explore new possibilities. We are keenly aware now of what is important to have in work/life balance. With his technical skills, he will always find a place to work to generate a revenue stream during retirement. We even toyed with a non-technical job but by continuing to work in tech, he is able to do contract jobs and then take time off.

Ruth Anne experienced many different jobs in 2021. As we expressed gratitude for this past year and all we have learned, enjoyed and grown, Ruth Anne was most grateful to discover that she is totally capable of being able to work and to 'put up with a lot' in the work place. She is discovering her passion and purpose while she pursues her Masters Degree at Boston College. To help manage the symptoms of the traumatic brain injury that occurred as a result of an untreated infection, she was on a complicated medication regimen with many side effects. She is successfully tapering off of these meds and will be going into a New Year with a much lighter and smaller med box having so much more energy and vitality!

While every year brings an ebb and flow of letting go, transition and change, the pandemic has punctuated this cycle with a big exclamation point in 2021.

We don't know if fully vaccinated will mean having a booster shot although trends are heading in that direction. Masks are mandated at least through March of next year and while experts are keeping an eye on trends, testing and booster shots, Team McManus is keeping their eyes on health, well-being, doing good, letting go and letting in all the goodness and grace of the Universe in 2022. It's a milestone year as Tom turns 70 in March, we celebrate our 45th wedding anniversary in March, and the twins turn 35. My intention is to send out ripples of love, kindness, prosperity, abundance and healing from our hearth, hearts and home to the world.

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

Visit the News and Events tab to listen to my inspiring and uplifting interviews

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

Chasing Butterflies

 

 

On Monday's run with Tom, a monarch butterfly circled around us. We delighted in its beauty and felt blessed by its presence. We watched to see if it would light somewhere so we could take a picture of it but it kept freely flying. Tom chased after it and was able to capture it in flight:

In February of 2020, I was the guest speaker at the pre-race Pasta Dinner at the Hyannis Marathon Weekend. I was blessed to share the stage with Bill Rodgers.

He compared our experiences during childhood. While he chased butterflies experiencing the unbridled freedom of running, I worked to recover from having contracted childhood paralytic polio and then endured years of abuse at the hands of family members. Bill asked me how I was able to not be angry and bitter.

"I'd of been pretty pissed off if that would have happened to me," he said.

I shared how forgiveness and gratitude have been the lynch pins in my healing journey. After the diagnosis of Post-Polio Syndrome, one would have thought that my life as I had known it was coming to an end. And it was! I took a leap of faith leaving behind my award winning career as a VA social worker just 3 years shy of retirement age. I started a regular practice of gratitude and wrote letters of forgiveness to my parents and grandmother. I went into a cocoon of healing harnessing the power of the mind/body connection to heal my life. What a magnificent woman emerged and continues to emerge from the cocoon crossing the finish line of the 2009 Boston Marathon after 7 hours and 49 minutes. I came from a messy family and my journey of transformation, like the butterfly's journey, was uncertain. But, like the butterfly, the moment I thought my life was over, I emerged into a new state of Being as a runner, poet, author, inspirational speaker and one whose been blessed to touch the lives of so many with my Spirit and my beauty.

Hyannis Marathon Weekend was our last major event before the pandemic. In many ways we have been in a cocoon, now trying out our new wings transformed by the events of the past 18 months. I have learned that freedom is a state of mind and being. Although cases may be on the rise, masks are the order of the day indoors and there's a plan for booster shots, I can fly freely through life taking time to appreciate the beauty and splendor that is all around me. 

I love the quote, "If nothing ever changed, there would be no butterflies."

The leaves are changing on the trees and there is a chill in the air as our once never ending summer yields to a new season. We continue to see butterflies in our yard and on our runs reminding us that life is always changing, that without change we would not transform and evolve becoming the beautiful Beings we are all meant to be and that the process of change can be messy and uncertain. When we hold fast to our faith and trust the journey, we can soar. 

From my heart to yours
In health and wellness,
Mary

My books to uplift and inspire you are available on Amazon.

Visit my website to learn more about my journey of transformation in the wake of paralytic polio and trauma to the finish line of the 2009 Boston Marathon and beyond.

Be sure to visit my News and Events tab on my website to hear interviews that will open your heart and mind to a powerful message of healing, hope and possibilities.

 

Autumn: A Time for Change

The end of summer often triggers a sense of sadness. It's often difficult to experience a sense of rebirth and renewal when the leaves are changing colors and falling to the ground and yet Autumn can be a time of incredible transformation and new beginnings as we let go of what no longer serves us opening our hearts to the infinite possibilities not yet visible to the eyes.

One week ago, Tom left his job as a full time employee with benefits. We created our own benefit package now that we are both over 65 and held hands tightly as we took this leap of faith. It's the second leap of faith we took together. We took one for me 15 years ago after I was diagnosed with Post Polio Syndrome, a progressive neuromuscular disease.

While a leap of faith and letting go of what is familiar, {even though it may be toxic for us,} can be frightening, there is a feeling of exhilaration and excitement with what is on the horizon.

Sometimes I get caught in the vortex of fear spiraling downward in my thoughts and energy. But then I take a look back at all that I have created in my life during these past 15 years and see the signs surrounding that all is well and in Divine order. 

Tom and I have been on a journey of letting go, discernment and experiencing the excitement that a new season in our lives brings. I had a few brief moments of solar plexus clutching fear about finances which was a flashback to experiences from my youth and once I released the fear, the magic of the Universe is swirling around us just like the colorful autumn leaves that will soon be dancing in the cool, crisp air.

There are events happening in Autumn this year that usually happen in Spring and Summer. The world still seems topsy turvy as we find ways to live with COVID.

The Boston Marathon traditionally takes place in April as Spring begins to bloom in Boston. There are blossoms on the trees that line Commonwealth Avenue and winter's chill begins to yield to warmer days with more hours of daylight. This year, the Marathon takes place on October 11th which is also Indigenous Peoples Day. Foliage should be at its peak with many trees already showing bare branches. Instead of homes along the route being decorated for Easter and Spring festivities, Halloween decorations, pumpkins and mums will be the decor of the day.

The Tony Awards typically take place in the summer but this year were postponed until this Sunday because of COVID. Rather than warm gentle breezes welcoming nominees on the Red Carpet, there will be a bit of a chill in the air. Broadway is slowly reopening in New York but mask wearing and vaccinations are mandated for audiences at least through November 1st. I don't believe there will be a Red Carpet and the after Tony parties have been cancelled. But just like the Spirit of the Marathon rises from the ashes of the pandemic, the lights of Broadway shine on with hearts overflowing with gratitude that iconic institutions and events live on.

This is the first year that I can remember when I have not felt sadness about summer coming to an end. I focused on living in the present moment and savoring summertime in all her glory. I noted the bright green leaves on the trees and the luxury of going out on a run wearing just a tee shirt or tank top and shorts. Summer extended beyond the Autumnal Equinox this year here in Boston. It's been unseasonably warm and humid. I am ready to embrace change.

I remember when I was in grade school, I was the narrator for our play "Every season has a reason."

We've been through many seasons of our lives with the pandemic which has called for resilience, adaptation, flexibility and embracing the ebb and flow of life during these unprecedented times. This Autumn our family is entering a new season with Tom's retirement, Ruth Anne's return to work after healing from a critical illness and new projects on the horizon for me with my poetry and spreading my powerful message of healing, hope and possibility. I am open to the splendor and glory of the Autumn season shaking loose and letting go, allowing infinite possibilities to emerge.

From my heart to yours
In health and wellness,
Mary

My books to uplift and inspire you are available on Amazon.

Visit my website to learn more about my journey of transformation in the wake of paralytic polio and trauma to the finish line of the 2009 Boston Marathon and beyond.

Be sure to visit my News and Events tab on my website to hear interviews that will open your heart and mind to a powerful message of healing, hope and possibilities.

 

Outer Order - Inner Calm

 

When the pandemic first began, we did a LOT of decluttering. We rearranged furniture and created space as we entered a time of needing to spend the majority of our time at home. After the Boston Marathon bombings, we did a massive decluttering of our home and had a company come to haul away what was once stashed in our dormer, basement and closets that we no longer needed. If anything were to happen to my husband and me, we did not want our adult children left with sorting through what we collected through decades of being together. 

This summer has been one of the 6th hottest on record in Boston. We endured our fourth heat wave this past week. While I am deeply grateful to air conditioning, I have a love/hate relationship with it. I don't sleep as well when the windows are closed with the a/c on. I feel confined when it's unhealthy to be outdoors and the heat index is over 100 degrees. After several days of heat advisories, I needed to do something to elevate my mood. Options were a bit limited again as cases of COVID with the variant are on the rise and there is a new indoor mask mandate. While we continued to go on our runs, we had to limit time outside.

It was time to look around the house and create outer order to feed my inner calm that was waning with the news of booster shots, mask mandates and continued division in our country. People tend to forget that there is more to unite us than there is to divide us. I am blessed that my Facebook news feed is filled with quotes from light workers and I stay closely connected with those who express love and light in their quotes. I continue to resist the temptation to go to CNN.com or click on what's trending on Twitter that will invariably take me down the rabbit hole of negativity.

Ruth Anne and I cleaned out clothes in her closet. What a delicious feeling to donate clothes that were reminders of a time when she was struggling with her health. She helped me go through the linen closet, the kitchen and Tom and I decided to rearrange the home office. On September 17th, he bids his 6 1/2 year technology career at Boston College farewell. He is eligible for retirement at almost 70 years old and we had planned for retirement next Spring. But sometimes the Universe has other plans. We decided to take a collective leap of faith. To calm the butterflies, we created outer order with a cleaner look to our space in the office and living room. Tom was able to create inner space by doing exit interviews with upper management explaining why he was leaving. It was liberating for him to share why he needed to leave and the toll it was taking on his health and life/work balance.

Classes start on Tuesday for Ruth Anne and will be hybrid in person and on line. We are excited that she will be able to be on campus where everyone must be vaccinated. While there is an air of excitement, we  could anticipate this transition with greater joy if the pandemic were completely behind us. But we move forward celebrating health and well-being, the gift of the vaccine and trust that soon the pandemic will be a distant memory. Her room is arranged and ready for a successful semester of studies and working part-time.

As she was anticipating her schedule for the semester, she briefly became anxious and overwhelmed. She realized that something had to go as her schedule was too cluttered. While she dearly loves ReVision Urban Farm and planned to volunteer every other week at their stand at the Farmer's Market, she realized it would not afford her the opportunity to get her Saturday run on and be available for group projects as the semester gathered momentum.

We composed an email to the staff at the Farm and breathed a collective sigh of relief that we decluttered our Saturday schedule.

What a productive day of decluttering in many ways and on many levels for Team McManus! It felt so good to to take a deep breath and prepare to enter a new season with lots of open space on the calendar, in our physical space in the house and in our inner space. We spent time together, unplugged processing how we are coping with the ongoing pandemic and discovering what we need to thrive and have a sense of well-being during these turbulent times. Every month I change up my twice weekly strength training routine. As I turned the page in my journal, I looked through its pages. I tore off the pages that held energy from the past and created space to energize a future of abundance, health and well-being. I decluttered my email and updated social media photos.

As the heat wave broke in the evening, we opened the windows and turned off the air conditioners. In the stillness of evening we sat and listened to the crickets who loudly sang their song. They were inviting us to embrace the season of change, transitions and letting go of what we no longer need in our lives.

Embracing Change

As leaves' vibrant green begins to fade
crickets' song grows louder
as sun sets earlier every day
change is on the horizon.

Autumn's splendor on its way
nature's ebb and flow
juxtaposition of beauty and loss
heralding a new season.

Surrender to seasons of life
Divine Love surrounding
tempers fear of a trembling heart
heartful of faith.

Tempest of emotions
quieted in stillness
serenaded by sounds of silence
ready to embrace change.

From my heart to yours
In health and wellness,
Mary

My books to uplift and inspire you are available on Amazon.

Visit my website to learn more about my journey of transformation in the wake of paralytic polio and trauma to the finish line of the 2009 Boston Marathon and beyond.

Be sure to visit my News and Events tab on my website to hear interviews that will open your heart and mind to a powerful message of healing, hope and possibilities.
 

 

When Nothing is Certain...

 

Uncertainty is a part of life. So often it is a challenge to trust the wait and visualize positive outcomes. Appearances can look dreary and it is easy to get weighed down by current realities. We recently had a very challenging situation at Tom's job. There was ongoing stress due to a number of factors and it finally reached a point where we had to evaluate next steps. As I said to my chiropractor, quoting Robin Sharma, “Change is hardest at the beginning, messiest in the middle and best at the end."

I've been increasing the time and frequency of my meditation. This morning, this poem flowed through me:

The Present
As I pull the ribbons
unwrapping the gift of a new day
I pause
Will I pass the time with worry and fret
bemoaning the past
erase unhappy thoughts
as easily as wiping a white board clean.
Starting day with clean slate
open heart
deep breaths
grateful
all I need is right here.
In this very moment
creating joy
it’s a gift to be alive
challenges transform coal into diamonds.
Twinges of fear
transform what if's
future trusted to the Divine
be present
feel day flowing with ease
graciously greeting
each moment with hope
gift of a new day.

I subscribe to David R. Hamilton, Ph.D.'s "Daily Boost." Today's inspiration was:

 

I've been getting signs from songs on the radio and as I released fear and opened myself up to the magic of the Universe, amazing and miraculous things have been happening. 

Nothing is ever certain. I believe we have learned that many times over with the pandemic. But we can create certainty in our lives through faith and embracing uncertainty knowing that when nothing is certain, everything is possible.

From my heart to yours
In health and wellness,
Mary

Visit my website to learn more about my journey of transformation in the wake of paralytic polio and trauma to the finish line of the 2009 Boston Marathon and beyond.

Be sure to listen to my recent conversation with Liz Brunner, award winning journalist, now CEO of Brunner Communications on her podcast Live Your Best Life. I share how I live my best life despite the challenges that I faced at an early age.

For all of my recent appearances, be sure to visit my News and Events tab on my website.

My books to inspire and uplift you are available on Amazon.

A Tale of Two Pandemics

 

I've been focusing on peace in my meditations and as I go about my day. As I cycle through moments of anxiety, I take deep breaths and focus on what I have control over and what I don't have control over. I found myself riding the wild roller coaster of the tale of two pandemics. In Burlington, Vermont people are at crowded bars, dancing the night away and quoted in the news as feeling fearless and free. Their state has the highest vaccination rate and lowest infection rate in the country. Massachusetts is close behind Vermont in its vaccination rate but recently has seen clusters of outbreaks in Provincetown, and Cambridge. There are 5 counties in Massachusetts with high and substantial transmission rates. 

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention updated its masking guidelines on Tuesday, recom-mending vaccinated individuals wear masks indoors where community transmission levels are classified as high or substantial.

I've had to limit my exposure to news stories and am just checking in to see what the latest mandates are for our area. Our family has made the decision to mask up when we are indoors and stocked up on a new supply of masks. While I feel twinges of sadness, anger and frustration when I look at my bookshelf where, for a brief moment in time, there was space with only one mask per person 'just in case',  I know it does not serve me to dwell in the space of "what if they only waited to lift restrictions until more people were vaccinated." There is no going back. We can only go forward as best we know how, once again navigating unknowns and uncertainty in the wacky world of COVID.

I do know for certain that we have taken every measure we can to ensure a healthy lifestyle mind, body and soul focusing especially on our mental health and well-being. Fear and anxiety, and listening to the 'latest' data which are constantly in flux serve only to suppress the immune system. Finger pointing and blame, what if's and if only's wreak havoc with our body's chemistry.

Peace, on the other hand, allows for the production of the body's natural chemistry that is set to bring balance, healing and a strong immune response. While at times it feels as though the weight of the pandemic is bearing down on us again, it is vital to find joy, laughter, lightness and ease in our lives. Even if it is not happening in the moment, imagining those feelings pulls us out of the vortex of darkness in the moment.

I checked my email as I continued to allow this essay to percolate and received this from Telecharge:

 I felt tears well up in my eyes and a lump in my throat as the reality of the pandemic continues to take center stage in our lives.

We decided now is just not the right time to go to the theater in New York. Wearing a mask for two and a half hours just doesn't appeal to us and part of the thrill of going to the theater is experiencing the crush of people waiting in line to get into the theater. We'd have to present a government issued photo ID along with our proof of vaccination. Wearing a mask before dining on deli or eating Italian at Mama Mia's takes the joy out of the New York City experience.

I hearken back to Lin Manuel Miranda's words to Jimmy Fallon when they were celebrating the re-opening of Broadway, "It's all depending right? On vaccinations and whether or not people will feel comfortable returning to the theater."

All of those invitations with printed out google maps for directions to different events are gone from our refrigerator. There are still lots of posts in my news feed of people who are traveling, dining out, going to bars and acting as if the pandemic has ended. We are going to err on the side of caution as a tale of two pandemics continues on focusing on all we have to be grateful for. 

After we cancelled our New York City trip we bought ice cream savoring the taste of summer in New England watching a glorious sunset. We held a space for our sadness and frustration while expressing what we are each grateful for. 

As the scientists try to sift and sort data, and as politicians focus on what to do about the myriad challenges facing us at this time in our history, I am going to focus on being the change.

 Be The Change

 Wildfires raging
 mood as dark as thick smoke
 enveloping all in its path
 virus' variant wreaking havoc
 
 How to stop the carnage?

 Tears from an open heart extinguish hopelessness
 compassion and kindness fan flames of healing
 turn off talking heads
 turn toward each other
 feel the heal.

 Grateful for blessings great and small
 tender moments
 tending to each other's wounds
 beauty of sunsets
 tomatoes ripe on the vine
 savor and appreciate.

Bind broken heartedness
banding together
we are one
powerful to effect change
one action creates ripples
slowly
reversing
damage we once wrought. 

From my heart to yours
In health and wellness,
Mary

Visit my website to learn more about my journey of transformation in the wake of paralytic polio and trauma to the finish line of the 2009 Boston Marathon and beyond.

Be sure to listen to my recent conversation with Liz Brunner, award winning journalist, now CEO of Brunner Communications on her podcast Live Your Best Life. I share how I live my best life despite the challenges that I faced at an early age.

For all of my recent appearances, be sure to visit my News and Events tab on my website.

My books to inspire and uplift you are available on Amazon.  

Undeterred by Detours

 

I've recently encountered a lot of detours on my runs and on the roads. I was on a run around the Reservoir when a detour sign appeared. I turned to Ruth Anne, my running partner and said, "Well what shall we do?"

We came up with a plan to go into a familiar path under a canopy of trees. We would go to the halfway  mark of our 5K and return the same way we ran to get to the halfway point.

It started to rain; nothing like the downpour Tom and I experienced last week but a steady rain. The canopy of leaves caught the rain keeping us relatively dry. When we emerged from our detour, the rain stopped.

Ever since the diagnosis of Post-Polio Syndrome in December of 2006, I have learned to find joy in the journey and embrace the detours. 

The detour of Post-Polio Syndrome led me to the most glorious destination of becoming a 2009 Boston Marathon finisher, motivational speaker, author, poet and one who shares a profound message of healing, hope and possibilities. 

The 2020 pandemic was a mother lode of all detours. We were extremely blessed to maintain our health and well-being through it all. We thought that after we were all vaccinated we could resume activities and see friends without any trepidation.

We are extremely fortunate in Massachusetts to have a high vaccination rate and a relatively low infection rate but the vaccination rate has dramatically slowed and there is an "uptick" in cases that is of concern to public health officials.

I focus on accentuating the positive, releasing fears and trusting in the Divine believing in my health and well-being and in the health and well-being of my loved ones. When I meditate, I send out well-being to all Beings.  I know the power of the mind/body connection and harness it to boost my immune system and continue to heal my life from the once devastating effects of paralytic polio and trauma.

This new "uptick" in cases in Massachusetts and around the country have given our family and me pause. The news that came out of the CDC that if you are fully vaccinated, you can go about your lives with ease and no masks was a cause for celebration. But given what's happening, one wonders if they may have moved forward too quickly with their advice. I know they were basing it on available data. They used it as a motivator to encourage people to get vaccinated based on the data at that time. We were not about to book a trip that would require traveling by air but we did book a trip to New York City. The words of Lin Manuel-Miranda on the Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon are now echoing once more. As Jimmy Fallon and he were talking about the excitement of Broadway’s reopening,  he said“And it’s all depending, right? It depends on how safe people feel returning to the theater and people continuing to get vaccinated…”

Tomorrow is the Voices of Hope Boston 11th Annual Barbara Byrd Memorial Golf Tournament. We were all set to go but with the uptick in cases, Ruth Anne expressed a lot of anxiety about being around a large group of people whose vaccination status was unknown and eating indoors for the luncheon. We presume that the majority of people would be fully vaccinated and everyone will be fine but it wasn't a risk we were comfortable taking at this time. The breakthrough cases among fully vaccinated people is unsettling.

We know about the power of belief and trust in the efficacy of the vaccines we received. Our concerns lie with people who are unvaccinated and the risk of breakthrough infection which is what happened to me during the last polio epidemic. Even if that were to happen we know we would be fine but why take the risk right now? We have returned to hand washing and masks indoors and making choices based on our tolerance for risk, weighing the benefits versus risk of our choices.

We are taking life day by day which is truly the only way to be. We are aware that life can and does change on a dime.

We'll continue to enjoy life with an attitude of gratitude undeterred by any detours that may come our way. The beautiful destination we arrive at is the gift of the present moment where we have everything we could possibly need and more. 

From my heart to yours
In health and wellness,
Mary

Visit my website to learn more about my journey of transformation in the wake of paralytic polio and trauma to the finish line of the 2009 Boston Marathon and beyond.

Be sure to listen to my recent conversation with Liz Brunner, award winning journalist, now CEO of Brunner Communications on her podcast Live Your Best Life. I share how I live my best life despite the challenges that I faced at an early age.

For all of my recent appearances, be sure to visit my News and Events tab on my website.

My books to inspire and uplift you are available on Amazon.