Anticipation - One Month From Today!

 On January 11th, Team McManus heads to Logan Airport to go on our first I'm leaving on a jet plane vacations since January of 2020. Ruth Anne heads to Nashville to visit her best friend from Middle Tennessee State University. Tom and I head to Bermuda for Bermuda Triangle Challenge Race Weekend. It has a surreal quality to it after all the challenges we endured this year yet I remind myself that the challenges we face intensifies the gratitude and the joy for wonderful adventures and experiences.

It's taper time. I find myself using the words taper time to Christmas songs.

Silver Bells -- Taper time Taper time It's taper time in the City or Jingle Bells - Taper time Taper time taper all the way or O Christmas Tree - O Taper time O taper time how 'lovely' is thy waiting!

Tom and Ruth Anne joined me on my easy two miler on Saturday to make sure that I didn't do fartleks, speed work or a tempo run. Tom reined in the pace for us reminding me that our race plan is to go out easy! After the first half, we can pick up the pace and have a strong finish. We reminisced about the 2017 Bermuda Half Marathon when I went out way too fast, ignored my fueling and hydration plan and I ended up sideways. What drove me to ignore what was happening in my body was the time 'limit' on the website of 3:30 for the Half. The full marathon was two loops and finished where the Half finished so I knew the finish line would be open. I was also trying to beat my time from 2016. Lessons were learned.

We were blessed with moderate temperatures and a lovely early winter's day. Every training run that has no snow or ice on the ground and temperatures are well above freezing is a gift as I countdown to race day.

I went for solo Monday morning miles after taking a rest day on Sunday. It was a grey Monday morning but what joy I feel celebrating 17 years of healing after the diagnosis of Post-Polio Syndrome and as I get ready to celebrate turning 70 on Christmas Day! The torrential rain from Sunday night's storm stopped but there was, at times, a stiff and brisk head wind. I visualized the start of the race seeing all the runners take off in front of me. I embodied feeling proud and strong having Tom by my side to pace me. I set my internal clock to the easy pace we will keep for the first 5K reining in negative thoughts about 'the time'. My heart overflowed with gratitude as I spread my arms wide to embrace the miracle of transformation and healing. I envisioned a sunny day with 60 degree temps and no headwind. I saw the beautiful blue Bermuda sky and the turquoise blue water. I felt my feet on the asphalt embracing the cheers of the spectators. 

I smiled to myself as I remembered the pre-race/travel dream in which we were on the bus to the airport. I told the driver to stop. I forgot my passport and travel documents. I kept thinking "Why didn't I go through the list I made? Why didn't I go through the list I made?" As Tom and I stood in the middle of nowhere, I looked at my watch and wondered how we were ever going to make our flight.

I shook my head and reminded myself that my passport to the land of negativity was revoked. I honored the 'nerves' that accompany any race day. As one of my friend's told me at the Bermuda Half Marathon 2018, the nerves are a sign that the race matters but it's vital that I not allow them to overtake me as they had in Bermuda 2017. It's one mile at a time visualizing a strong finish. My body will be well rested as it was before the First Run Virtual 5K last year. I trust my training. I trust my body's ability to meet, greet and conquer the challenge of the Bermuda 10K. One month from today, at the moment that I am writing this, we will be at National Stadium seeing a Bermudaful sunrise. I savor every moment of anticipation feeling the excitement of returning to our happy place with so much to celebrate!

 

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 and where you can find my incredibly inspirational story.

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 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.

Be sure to subscribe to their new YouTube Channel to enhance your podcast listening experience!

Be sure to download and subscribe to the AdaptX podcast. Here's the link to my wonderful conversation with host Brendan Aylward sharing my journey of transformation and healing in the wake of polio, Post-Polio syndrome and trauma.

The Enchanted Village With Voices of Hope

 

One of the greatest gifts of 2021 was reconnecting with the Voices of Hope Boston family. Their live performances were cancelled due to the pandemic. They started a podcast in March of 2021. I reached out and asked if, given my experience through the polio pandemic and, having released Hope is a Garden: Poems and Essays From the 2020 Pandemic, they would like me to be a guest on The Cardinal Cafe podcast. While we had been going to their live shows for many years, it was not until the pandemic and being a guest on their podcast  that we wove together a tapestry of a deep friendship.

One of my traditions growing up in Westchester, was to go into New York City during the holiday season. It was a tradition that stopped once Boston became my home. When my mom died on Christmas Eve in 1997, family and friends gathered in New York for her memorial service. It was the twins first trip into New York City. We'd been back to visit at other times of the year but this year was the first year we went back during the holidays.

The trip was inspired by Voices of Hope Boston plan to support Sean Allan Krill and the reopening of Jagged Little Pill. It was a magical trip. I am so thrilled that I put aside my concerns about wearing a mask indoors for long period of time to experience the kick off of the holiday season in New York.

One of our big holiday traditions when the twins were growing up was to go into Boston to see The Enchanted Village, the windows at Filenes and Jordan Marsh and take home a box of Jordan Marsh blueberry muffins. When Tom ran the 2011 Boston Marathon for Childrens Hospital, the kick off party was at The Enchanted Village at Jordan's Furniture in Avon. There was no Enchanted Village last year and when Eliot was interviewed on The Cardinal Cafe podcast, he wasn't sure if it would be back this year. There was some banter about the possibility of Voices of Hope performing if the Enchanted Village returned but at the time, the future was uncertain as Eliot explained the pros and cons of reopening his store.

When we saw that Voices of Hope would be singing carols at The Enchanted Village on 12/18 and 12/19 we just knew we had to go. Dana greeted us with her signature bear hug and we were enthralled to hear our friends performing LIVE again!

 

We were planning to go to only hear our beloved VoH but the lines moved quickly and Ruth Anne took charge to lead us into a time honored tradition. 

Here is Ruth Anne all grown up experiencing the joy and delight she once knew when she was a little girl:

Scenes from The Enchanted Village:

I may have cried just a little when the song, "White Christmas" came on and snow started falling around us as I remembered taking my kids to The Enchanted Village when they were little. I felt the nostalgia of the scene with Eliot and the old board games and the free standing TV's in their wooden consoles. I felt the tears of joy and gratitude for dear friends and being able to experience the holiday season this year. It is truly amazing how the pandemic has intensified my feelings of gratitude and appreciation.

As we left the Village, we were told that the exit was upstairs. I thought that to be a wee bit odd since we entered the Village on the ground floor.

We walked through all the different furniture departments. Tom and Ruth Anne had done their 8 mile run on the road to the Providence Marathon for Victory Programs and I had done a 5K. We spotted an Exit sign with stairs that would have taken us back to the first floor near the front of the store but Tom asked a salesman how to get to The Enchanted Village. We followed the signs but ended up back at the stairs where there was no entrance! We had a record number of steps for the day!

We explained our situation to a lovely woman with a Jordan's t-shirt on and she took us through the employees only door and voila - we were back with our Voices of Hope family. We hugged so tightly and wished each other Merry Christmas while listening to one last song "Santa Claus is Coming to Town." Children with their winter jackets trimmed with fur wearing their little masks listened with wide eyed wonder. A new generation would begin their holiday tradition with The Enchanted Village and Voices of Hope Boston just might have a new caroling tradition for their group.

Prior to heading to Jordan's we agreed that since Tom and Ruth Anne (and by proxy me) were in marathon training that we would forego getting the Jordan Marsh Blueberry Muffins but there were boxes stacked tall at the exit/entrance to the store and the smell wafted through the air. We couldn't resist!

Ahhh ... the power of advertising on the radio hearing Eliot say, "...and while you are there don't forget to bring home a box of those delicious Jordan Marsh blueberry muffins made with the same recipe..."

Ruth Anne, Tom and I relished every bite when we got home knowing that the joy we experienced was far more important than the calories in the muffin!

What a joy to rekindle McManus family traditions while celebrating with our friends.

Here's to traditions old and new and being able to celebrate life to the fullest!

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

The next best thing to being there....

At this time last year, we thought for sure we would be planning our return trip to Bermuda for Race Weekend. Bermuda is currently a Level 4 destination according to the CDC and travel is not recommended. A month ago, Bermuda Race Weekend was cancelled. I saw posts from friends traveling to tropical destinations. Knowing I may not have choices about circumstances happening around me, I always have a choice to choose my thoughts and attitude.

Right before I was getting ready to publish my blog this morning, I opened up Lin Manuel Miranda's book, "G'morning, Gnight! Little pep talks for me & you" to read G'morning as we have done every day since we bought it a few months ago.

G'morning.
This feeling will pass.
These people will pass.
But look at you with the gift of memory.
You can time travel to the good stuff just by
closing your eyes and breathing.
Then come right back to now, eyes up for
the good stuff ahead.
You magic thing.

Synchronicity is beautiful and magical when we allow our hearts and eyes to see beyond what we can touch, see and feel and what is being told to us through the news.   

I went through my photos and changed my profile and cover photos on Facebook to photos from Bermuda. I have a photo from the beach as my wallpaper on my iPhone. I allow the joy to flow with my friends' posts allowing my imagination to feel as if I too am in a tropical destination. We've been blessed with the weather in New England for December. I savor every sight of green grass on lawns despite darkness descending earlier every afternoon until the winter solstice next week.

I am an eternal optimist and allow hope to fill my heart and soul despite the headlines. 

Fifteen years ago I was given the diagnosis of Post-Polio Syndrome. As I sat in a leg brace using a cane and at times a wheelchair for mobility, I imagined myself dancing and running free. I harnessed the power of my imagination through writing poetry and even though my current circumstances looked quite grim at the time, in my mind's eye I was focused on winning a 10K race. I had never run a day in my life yet went on to run the 2009 Boston Marathon.

While part of me feels utterly exhausted from the pandemic; the need for Ruth Anne to be tested and boosted before she returns to grad school at BC and the impending regulations that in order to be considered fully vaccinated you need to have a booster shot, I imagine my world free from the pandemic and only needing to remember my bathing suit and running clothes when we travel again. The memories of traveling to Bermuda for many years in December, January, May and July warm my heart and soul. We look through photo albums and reminisce about our adventures in paradise. We remember with so much love the people who are no longer with us in the physical plane but feel their beautiful presence through our hearts and memories. Before I go to sleep at night, after my guided meditation ends, I ask myself where I want to go. I ignite the fire of my imagination and I can almost hear the tree frogs serenading me as I fall asleep. I see the ink from the headlines from the newspaper dripping down the front page while new good news headlines and news stories appear.

We are finding Christmas music old and new that brings us joy and focusing on all there is to be grateful for. Tom found a new 6 month contract job that is 100% remote starting in the New Year. We will be able to take a week's vacation together before he begins his new job and before Ruth Anne starts classes and a part-time job. I am looking forward to a much less frenzied pace of jobs that were not a good fit, and settling into a routine and rhythm of life.

And while I may not be getting on a plane to travel to our Bermudaful destination where we went for 5 consecutive years in January until the pandemic,

I will travel there in my mind's eye, filled with hope that one day we shall return. In the meantime, as I lull myself to sleep, look at my photos and my Facebook cover and profile photos, it's the next best thing to being there.

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

 

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

Yes We Need a Little Christmas!

 

After a wonderful night's sleep with hearts overflowing with love and gratitude, we woke up for our final morning in New York. Tom and Ruth Anne had work early on Monday morning. While they rested, I organized and packed up our room. We walked over to Junior's for breakfast. There was a long line and we were about to find another place to eat but I suggested we see how long the wait was. As we went to the hostess desk people were being told they would receive a text when their table was ready. After we showed our vaccination cards and ID's, they led us to a table for 3. We bobbed and weaved through the crowd with our masks still on and were led to a table with the same waitress who served us lunch on Saturday.  We feasted on a New York style breakfast with bagels, eggs, french toast and orange juice. We shared our plates with each other and took a picture of the Christmas tree:

 

With a noon check out, we didn't have a lot of time to go galavanting around the City. Since we all need a little Christmas right now, we went down different streets to get to Rockefeller Center.

I had seen an article about the Show Globes in Times Square and was thrilled to see them along with a spectacular view of Times Square.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 Photos taken on our stroll around the Rockefeller Center area:

 One of my favorite displays at Rockefeller Center

 

 

 

 

 

The traditional selfie with the ice skating rink in the background

 

 

 

The doorman at FAO Schwarz who was making sure that no one entered the store before 11am. They were hosting a special event for the families of fallen firefighters from 9/11. FAO Schwarz always makes me feel like a kid again.

While we watched the tree trimming at Rockefeller Center, Tom asked if we could have a cutting from the tree! After we were gifted one of the branches, the security guard told us to wait a minute. He gave us pine cone decorations on another branch!

 I caption this photo  "Jaywalker Tom":

The light had changed but he ran to cross the street. A bus was careening down the street right behind him. Ruth Anne and I were left on the other side of the street but he held up our treasure to indicate all was well.

What an incredible way to kick off the holiday season in New York. We were able to enjoy the City before the throngs of holiday goers arrived. Our waitress at Junior's told us the holiday week began on Monday for New York schools!

Everyone is ready to celebrate this year after a year of darkness, uncertainty, fear, hope, possibilities, isolation, and waiting as we do in Advent. Yes, we need a lot of Christmas this year.

Extraordinary

Sunlight sparkles on the water
dancing on the gentle ripples
how long we waited to see the sun again
darkness and fear were all pervasive
would light ever prevail

lying in waiting
world's troubles heavy
bearing down on tender hearts
weary as days became months
keep hope alive

Emerging from the pandemic
baby steps
is it safe?
bigger steps
out into the world
leap of faith
at times waiting seemed unbearable

and yet

what joy culminates
sweet experiences that hearts yearned for
ordinary times become extraordinary
hugs' pleasure magnified
seeing smiles once more
happy and free
into the light.

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