In 2024, I.....A Different Kind of Year in Review

Here is my year in review highlighting what I've learned, done and what I am grateful for:

Loved more deeply
Had faith more fiercely
Practiced gratitude more intently
Learned to be more patient and kind
Self-love isn’t selfish
Let go of people and habits that did not serve my well being
Learned failure is not fatal and there are always opportunities to succeed
Success doesn’t always look the way we think it should
Grew my village of like-hearted souls
Published my 7th book
Amazon reviews are great but getting messages from readers make my book a NY Times bestseller
Embraced lovely synchronistic events
Became more unapologetically me and learned to value who I Am
Made it through challenges and extremely difficult times learning once more how strong and resilient I am
Learned the power of forgiveness of myself and others
Everything passes
Being graceful and grateful is better than grumbling
Life is better with a cat
It’s better to be kind than right
Rekindled my joy of running and movement
Learned the power of accepting everything as it is
Learned it’s vital to keep a sense of humor
Whenever I complain, replace it with 5 positive things
There may be less years to live than I’ve already lived and I plan to live those moments to the fullest
Rekindled my love of cooking
Was reminded of our bodies’ tremendous capacity to heal after illness or injury
There are more generous and kind people in the world when we look for them
Rushing slows you down
Love is always the answer
Saying no to someone or something is saying yes to myself 

I’m wrapping up the gifts of all that I learned and lived in 2024 and bringing them with me into 2025!

 

Happy New Year!

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.

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.

The Wings of Transformation

There are so many wonderful quotes using the butterfly as a metaphor for transformation. Perhaps one of my favorites is by Maya Angelou:

 

Fifteen years ago today I sat in my 2nd floor office at the Boston VA Outpatient Clinic. Almost all of my personal belongings were at home in preparation for my last day leaving behind my award winning social work career. I was hoping to stay on for 3 more years until I was 'eligible' for retirement but realized that I was at a crossroads in my life and needed to choose a path. I chose the path of healing my life from the once devastating effects of childhood paralytic polio and trauma.

My schedule to see patients was sparse. I made many phone calls to let veterans and their families know of my impending departure and reassured them that there would be wonderful staff available to help them until my position was filled. Many patients and their families stopped by to say goodbye bearing beautiful thank you gifts. I reminded them of the many gifts they gave me by allowing me to be a part of their lives. 

I kept a journal on a yellow legal pad using it to visualize my life after the VA. I wrote in exquisite detail how I imagined my life as a NY Times Bestselling Author whose poetry touched the hearts and souls of many. My courageous journey of taking a leap of faith and all I endured in my life would inspire Oprah to have me as a guest on her show. I imagined meeting up with friends and potential clients for fancy lunches with my portfolio of "New World Greeting Cards: Original Poetry for Every Occasion." 

I incorporated what I am grateful for as part of the journal. 

While maintaining a brave, optimistic and hopeful demeanor about my future, a part of me was terrified! I used daily affirmations and worked to stay focused only on positive outcomes but it was a challenge to tune out the prognosis I had been given of a progressive neuromuscular disease. When I wrote poetry and focused on feeling as if I were already living in a healthy body, I literally felt no pain! But then the 'reality' of being in a leg brace, using a cane at times for mobility and being extremely deconditioned and limited in my functioning returned. 

I listened to my intuition and had this incredible sense of faith and trust that I made the right decision to leave the stress of my career. Fortunately, my husband and children supported me in all ways.

I read my poetry and shared my story at assisted living facilities as a way to ease my transition from my social work career which is all I had known for the past 25 years. I met amazing people along the way.

In October of 2007, one of my veteran volunteers who had become a good friend, introduced me to Janine Hightower who was starting her in home personal training business. She was a member of BNI, Business Networking International and my veteran wanted us to meet to see how we could network to grow each other's business. But as we sat there, I wasn't focused on my business but rather her in home personal training business Boston Homebodies.

I asked her if she thought she could help me to build on the outpatient therapy program I received from Spaulding. After my first session with her, I could barely move but I knew that if I were going to experience pain, I'd rather experience pain on the side of healing.

It required a great deal of patience and struggle to move out of the body of a survivor of childhood paralytic polio and trauma and reclaim my earthly home. When one looks at the picture of me at the 2009 Boston Marathon finish line:

you would never know the hours of struggle and pain both emotional and physical that I went through on that journey of transformation. The freedom and unbridled joy I experienced to have received my wings of transformation that day and that help me to continue to fly free as I was always meant to be made the journey worthwhile. I haven't yet had my books on the New York Times bestseller list but when I receive heartwarming reviews from my readers, I feel as though I have achieved that status. I haven't been a guest on Oprah but have been blessed to share my journey with many podcasters, radio talk show hosts and guest speaker at events. I was featured on a Channel 7 news piece. Visit the News and Events tab on my website to listen to my inspiring and uplifting interviews. I was blessed to have my story shared in Dr. David Hamilton's "Tenth Edition of How Your Mind Can Heal Your Body" and be a guest on his Hay House Radio Show. While I imagined many wonderful things happening in my life, what came to be was far more incredible than what I wrote about on my yellow legal pad in anticipation of my last day at the VA fifteen years ago.

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

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

Healing and Finding the Flow

 

 It seems as if we went from being in lock down and restrictions to party time in Copley Square in Boston with a Donna Summer Disco Party. Of course I am fully aware that it was a slow almost tortuous 15 months of uncertainty, but once May 29th happened and all the restrictions were lifted, there was a shift in our lives again as abrupt as when the lock down order went into effect on March 15 and Governor Baker declared a State of Emergency in Massachusetts.

 

I don't know about you but I have a little whiplash going from hearing stern warnings to people for gatherings at the beach last summer and businesses and restaurants adhering to strict restrictions because of COVID, to seeing a dance party in the street, runners swarming Heartbreak Hill to train for the 2021 Boston Marathon, traffic jams and planning for longer times to get from Point A to Point B. I feel as though I should be able to just jump back in to be in the flow of life again but I find myself at a bit of a loss. 

I find myself experiencing the residuals from the trauma of the past 16 months with free floating anxiety and at times fatigue. I know I am not alone in these feelings as I read various articles written by people who are experiencing similar feelings. Juxtaposed with the anxiety and fatigue are feelings of intense joy and excitement to be able to experience in person connection with family and friends, do packet stuffing for the Boston Marathon and go beyond Brookline, Massachusetts to dine, to play and to experience the fullness of life again. We experienced having our hair done and going for chiropractic and acupuncture with a deeper appreciation than before the pandemic.

While we were blessed during the pandemic with Tom's job security and having our health, there were moments of intense stress. Life became a challenge as we navigated supermarkets, lived life behind masks and hands were raw from repeated hand washing. Tom and Ruth Anne had to have multiple COVID tests because of work and school. Tom's job had a hiring freeze and in the wake of the pandemic and work/family stress, several people gave their notice. We experienced the collective trauma of the pandemic and the political scene in the US. It was infectious stress to see our friends experience being small business owners or working in high risk jobs  We all felt we were teetering on the brink of total disaster; a hallmark of trauma. Gratitude, meditation and prayer, love and faith were our anchors to navigate the turbulent times.

Fortunately, we can now create a space for healing as the waters of the tsunami of the pandemic and the intense political and economic climate begin to recede. While some may seemingly jump back into the flow of life, it's important to honor how we each approach this time of healing from the trauma that we have all experienced.

In the Flow

When life comes to a screeching halt
frozen in time
tightness tension
worry lines mar terrain
energy wanes to a trickle.

When paralyzed by fear
faith edged out
come back from the edge.

As danger subsides
slowly thawing
torch of divine love lights the way
Source tenderly melting pain.

Haltingly I return to life
here and now
all there is
ebb and flow with the tide
no more precious stolen moments.

Smiling
tears of relief flow
heart swells with gratitude
getting back in the swim of life
in the flow
faith all is well.

From my heart to yours
In health and wellness
Mary

Be sure to listen to my conversation with Greg Chastain and Ed Siegel on their Voices of Hope podcast, The Cardinal Cafe. From Greg Chastain: The latest episode of The Cardinal Cafe is up! On this episode we meet Mary McManus. Mary is a motivational speaker, author, poet, 2009 Boston Marathon Finisher, polio and trauma survivor. She has a remarkable story of resilence, healing, Hope and possibilities. Once you hear her tell her story you will want to rush out to purchase her newest book of poems “Hope is a Garden” which she wrote during the recent pandemic. So please join us for this incredible story.

For more information about my journey from childhood polio and trauma to the finish line of the 2009 Boston Marathon and beyond, visit my website.  

Be sure to check out my website's News and Events page for upcoming and past interviews where I share my remarkable and inspirational journey as a survivor of paralytic polio and trauma.

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

Adopt The Pace of Nature...

 We are all eager to experience an end to the pandemic; to travel, to head to the beaches and pools, to go to concerts, Broadway shows, eat at restaurants and for runners to resume racing events. But it's not quite time yet. 

While vaccinations have helped to flatten the curve, there is still much work to be done in ending the pandemic and while fatigue from this past year is real, this is the time to exercise extraordinary patience to ensure that we can successfully move forward building momentum in ending the public health crisis of the past 14 months.

I look to my garden to adopt the pace of nature.

Last October we bought bulbs and planted them deep in Mother Earth in our yard. I've been taking photos of the progress of our garden watching how, with the ebb and flow of temperatures, the flowers close and halt growth and then resume growth slowly preparing to open the flowers in all of their glory. Here's the latest phase of the garden's growth:

It goes at its own pace and we patiently and eagerly anticipate when it will be in full bloom.

We adopted the pace of nature when we did jigsaw puzzles during the pandemic and I composed this poem:

Pieces of the Puzzle from "Hope is a Garden:Poems and Essays From the 2020 Pandemic": 

 

When pieces are scattered and nothing seems to fit

that’s the time to pause breathe and sit.

It all will make sense with a tincture of time

although in the present there’s no reason or rhyme.

Little by little let Spirit guide

Divine is always present right by our side.

Out of chaos uncertainty beauty comes into view

abundance Well-Being are all here for you.

 

Broken into pieces only an illusion you’ll see

wholeness and happiness Source’s wish we will be.

Beings belong to earth sun and sky

mystery abounds no need to fear and ask why.

Create not react be patient let go

all is revealed all that you need to know.

Such exhilaration when the final piece takes its place

all now revealed in life’s sacred space.

 

Ruth Anne and I have one more vaccine shot aka our "wellness shot" and then have to be patient for two weeks after that before getting together with our friends who are fully vaccinated.

We are so close to being able to emerge from the pandemic safely resuming activities that add extra zest to life.

We just need to adopt the pace of Mother Nature. Her secret is patience.

From my heart to yours

In health and wellness 

Mary

For more information about my journey from childhood polio and trauma to the finish line of the 2009 Boston Marathon and beyond, visit my website.

 

My Trilogy of Transformation and poetry books that are sure to inspire and uplift you are available on Amazon.