#BEKIND21 A Trip to the Post Office - Kindness is Contagious

I had my pants and return label ready to go to the Post Office for two days. I took them to the car as being one step closer to actually getting them to the Post Office. After I dropped off my daughter for her acupuncture appointment this morning, Spirit nudged me to go to a Post Office that I usually don't go to but that was close to her acupuncturist.

"Stand back there and wait for me to call you," the Postal Service worker barked at the man in front of me. "And make sure you are standing apart behind the blue lines. That's what they are there for."

A man with a passport application angrily walked away from the window mumbling something about filing a lawsuit. 

While I wanted to leave and go to the Post Office I usually go to,  I felt the need to stay there.

"You wait there. She was ahead of you."

The gentleman in front of me said he was going to use the automatic machine but quickly returned saying it was out of order. I struck up a conversation with him about how COVID 2.0 seems to be leaving everyone feeling irritable. We chatted a bit about vaccines and masks before I shifted the conversation to gratitude. We smiled with our eyes and agreed that while things might seem worse, at some point the tide will turn and it will get better.

As he took his turn at the counter, a short in stature Asian woman came up right behind me in line with her mask beneath her nose. I warmly greeted her in response to her comment that there was not a long line today and asked her to please step behind the blue line for social distancing as the man behind the counter was enforcing the rules today.

"Oh yes yes," she said. "You are absolutely right."

She quickly adjusted her face mask.

The gentleman who had been in front of me turned as he went to leave wishing me a good day.

"Can I help you?" the Postal Service worker asked.

"Oh yes," I said. "I need a lot of help."

"Are you mailing these pants? This box is way too big."

"I'm sorry," I said. "That's why I didn't package it up. I have a prepaid label and a packing slip....You know I would like to just really thank you for your service. I know it's not easy working for the government under the best of circumstances. I worked at the VA for almost 20 years. I can only imagine the challenges you face every day during COVID."

"Thank you. Just for that I am going to get this all packaged up for you and not even charge you for the envelope."

"I'm so grateful to you for helping me."

"There's a lot to be grateful for right now...like this weather. I walk to work every day."

While he took care of everything for my package, we chatted for a few more minutes and said goodbye.

As I left, I whispered to my new friend in the line behind me, "Be sure to thank him."

I started walking down the ramp to exit the Post Office and out of the corner of my eye I saw her walk up to the window. She put her whole body and being into saying, "You extraordinary!" I heard him say "Thank you!" and I smiled knowing that the ripples from those Post Office encounters would create a wonderful vibration in my Town and beyond.

Dr. David R. Hamilton has done extensive research and writing on the benefits of kindness including how it is contagious. Here's the link to his blog, How Kindness is Contagious. It's as timely today as it was ten years ago when he wrote it. Last March, David wrote, in his blog, "The Most Contagious Thing is Kindness, "So while we increase our physical distance to help reduce the likelihood of contagion of coronavirus, let us increase the contagion of kindness instead."

 As evidenced by my recent trip to the Post Office, there is an urgent need to increase the contagion of kindness. There's still time to be part of Born This Way Foundation's #BEKIND21 campaign. It's a wonderful way to join a global community of like hearted people inviting us all to practice kindness to ourselves and each other.

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.

Time To Just Be

 

The forecast was for a possible Category I Hurricane, Henri, heading toward New England. Tom and Ruth Anne said they would stay at home and do storm preparation around the yard and area around the house while I went on a run. While I felt a wee bit guilty leaving them to do the work around the house, they reassured me that they would be fine and I should take advantage of the solitude of my run.

The weather was hot and humid. I had to slow down my pace and take notice of the spectacular scenes created by the Master Artist's Hand as I ran around the Reservoir:

It was an incredible gift to have time to just be. As sweat poured, I surrendered to the heat of the day while witnessing the incredible cloud formations and the colors of a late August sky.

Ruth Anne and Tom had almost finished getting the "perimeter secured" when I returned home. We sat down together and had a cool refreshing glass of sparkling water. I expressed my heartfelt gratitude for my time of solitude with Source. 

Saturday's run inspired this poem:

Expansion

Running under canopy of white puffy clouds
gaze grazes to August’s azure sky
perfect painting reflected on still water
does mind wander to prediction of impending storm
surrender to savor peaceful present
a gift from Master Artist’s heart.

Heart opens
sweat pours from every pore
cleansing heart and soul
wringing out worry and fear
in its wake peace
joy to be alive
reflecting on gratitude.

Contrast to contraction
expanding thoughts with every breath
step by step
moving with grace and ease
trust and faith
tethered to Source
as cloudy thoughts clear
revealing the Masterpiece of my life.

May we all find a path to feeling our hearts expand and time to just be. P.S Hurricane Henri brought a little wind and a little rain to New England. I was reminded of Mark Twain's quote, "“I've had a lot of worries in my life, most of which never happened.”

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.

The Rainbow Connection

With sweltering summer heat, we've experienced intense thunderstorms this past week in New England. After the first set of storms moved through, I looked to the skies to see if we could find a rainbow. We were treated to the beautiful light of the setting sun and the sweet scent of summer air after the rain but no rainbow:

 

The next day we had more thunderstorms. Would we see a rainbow?

It was still raining as the sun came out. I peered out the living room window and the vague colors of the rainbow slowly emerged against the backdrop of grey sky. I shouted to Ruth Anne to come quickly. There was going to be a rainbow.

We grabbed our iPhones and snapped pictures:

When I went to upload the photos, I saw that Tom had been stopped at a light on his way to Trader Joe's and sent me these photos:

The Facebook news feed was filled with photos of rainbows.

It was as though the Universe was sending us a sign of the impending end of the pandemic. It was a very Noah's Ark kind of moment; a powerful sign of Divine Love and a reminder to keep the faith especially through the storms.

Were it not for the powerful storms and darkness, how could we experience rainbows? And how could we possibly experience the heart opening profound sense of grace and gratitude when we make the rainbow connection.

The Rainbow Connection 

 

Do you still feel the thrill

after a thunderstorm

wind dies down

sun shines while rain pours

look up

faded colors transform

vibrancy emerges out of the ethers

suddenly it appears

covenant of Divine Love. 

 

A stirring in my soul

childlike delight

a blessing

standing in pouring rain

baptized

capturing its image

before it fades

leaves lasting imprint

on my heart and soul 

 

I found it

the rainbow connection

tethering me to infinite beauty

of Divine love and light! 

 

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.

 

Freedom Lies in Being Bold

 

My body's reaction to emerging from the pandemic has taken me a little off guard. It's a time of great paradox. While there are moments when it feels as if the pandemic never happened and we went from March 12th 2020 to May 29, 2021 experiencing a kind of time warp to things being "normal again," there is a cloud of fear with the news of the Delta variant and lock downs happening in other parts of the world. There is joy and celebration on this Fourth of July as we celebrate freedom from COVID yet I am experiencing a sense of awkwardness and trepidation as we move beyond these past 16 months.

After the 2nd vaccine, I experienced a lot of joint pain and muscle spasms. Was it a response to the vaccine or perhaps a reaction to all the stress and body flashbacks from polio and trauma I endured in childhood? Regardless of the cause, chiropractic care and a lot of meditation helped to ease the pain.

This past week, with plans for Tom to return to the office {hopefully in a hybrid model}, Ruth Anne getting ready to work part time and be on campus in late August, and the 50th anniversary of when my father ended his life after brutalizing us in the summer of 1971, my emotions expressed themselves through my body. I felt overwhelmed by the flood of emotions that I could not find words for which is quite unusual for me.

I listened as my body spoke expressing the trauma past and present in a myriad of ways. In my meditations, I focused on calm, peace, ease and freedom.

This morning I said to my body, "Okay. I hear you. Enough!" Rather than focus on the physicality of what was happening in my body, I thought, "What do you want to create? You've got to focus your thoughts on what is going to shift your body chemistry rather than maintain the stress."

During my meditation I took deep breaths and I heard Spirit speak the words, 'You deserve to feel and be well. You deserve to be free from experiencing the trauma in your body. Feel Source's Love in every cell.' I knew it was incumbent upon me to feel and find my freedom and be bold in claiming my health and well-being

I remembered the above photo and quote and the following poem flowed through me after we finished our meditation:

Be Bold 

 

Dare to believe

you are worthy of a wonderful life

imagination opens door to infinite possibilities

hope and healing a breath away.

Emboldened by Source’s Love

Sorcerer co-creating

conjuring ease

even in midst of strife

peace treaty

bold to be free

freedom from fear. 

 

Unfreezing

blazing a new trail

pathways of light

dispersing clouds of darkness

despairing depressing thoughts

whisked away

negatives developed

reveal Truth. 

 

Be bold

daring to be joyful

smiling from depths of soul

believe in birthright

let freedom ring! 

 

I felt my heart open and only whispers from the symptoms that were plaguing me. I felt more steady and calm and know that I need to draw from this state of being as we move forward emerging from the pandemic.

 

 

 It takes courage and being bold to face whatever is keeping us from experiencing our natural state of joy, happiness and well-being. But when we do we experience life as Source intended us to.

 

Let freedom ring as we enjoy this Fourth of July free from the constraints of the pandemic.

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.

 

 

 

"The Switch" and The Power of Imagination

 

Shortly after the diagnosis of Post-Polio Syndrome in December of 2006, I got still and asked for Divine Guidance. I tapped into a well of poetry that ignited my imagination to heal my traumatic past rife with disease and create a future different than the ones the medical profession predicted for me. I wrote poems about running free and dancing in the rain without my leg brace. My first poem, 'Running the Race' foreshadowed my 2009 Boston Marathon run.

With the outbreak of the pandemic, I once again turned to my pen, my divining rod for healing, and wrote poetry that both expressed and transcended the emotions of the day while imagining a future very different than the woes of lock down and quarantine and much uncertainty about the trajectory of the pandemic.

On Saturday, as I felt the shift from being mostly in a heightened state of anxiety to one of calm and relaxation for the first time in 14 plus months, I thought of my poem The Switch.

 The Switch from "Hope is a Garden: Poems and Essays From the 2020 Pandemic":

 

Flip the switch from darkness

from unwell to well-being

dwell with Source.

 

Generate positive thoughts

current of gratitude

dispels doom and gloom.

 

Electrify imagination

in mind’s eye

ignite possibilities!

 

Shockwaves from past

flashbacks

back to the future!

 

Dampen fears

be light hearted.

 

What ifs

glitter and sparkle

light up hope!

 

Rewire recharge

turn on tune in

vibrant optimism.

 

Flip the switch

switch perspective

let the magic begin!

 

I wrote that poem in August of last year. I held onto hope and kept my eye and heart on a future where we would no longer need to wear masks, use hand sanitizer and socially distance from one another. 

We had a glorious run on Saturday -- with no masks since we are fully vaccinated! We loved being fully present and only took one photo of the baby geese who are getting so big:

It was the first run in a very long time that I felt the endorphins kick in and where I flipped the switch from sympathetic nervous system to parasympathetic nervous system ie the rest and digest mode. We read and relaxed after we did yard work and planting following a thorough Spring cleaning of the house.

My power of imagination and writing poetry and essays held me in good stead to navigate the uncharted waters of the pandemic. It feels wonderful to be living in the future I imagined during these past 14 months.

Here's to healing, hope and infinite possibilities of a transformed world.

Be sure to tune into Dreamvisions 7 Radio to hear my conversation with Bernie Siegel, MD on his show Mind Health Matters May 20 and 21st, May 27th and 28th at 12:00am and 12:00pm ET. We talk about my newest book, my journey as a survivor of paralytic polio and trauma, healing, hope and possibilities and how my relationship with Bernie helped me on my journey of transformation since the 1980's.

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.

 

"Hope is a Garden:Poems and Essays From the 2020 Pandemic" along with all of my books to inspire and uplift you is available on Amazon.