Joy

In my facebook feed this morning there was not one but two posts about joy:



I remember my cousin Billy telling me when I was 11 years old that I was far too serious and that I should be outside playing enjoying my childhood.

Well contracting paralytic polio at age 5 and experiencing family violence do not create conditions to experience the joy that one hopes every child can experience. To quote Tom Robbins, "It's never too late to have a happy childhood."

I am so blessed that I have the opportunity to cultivate joy in my life; pure and true happiness.

Like last Sunday as I crushed that PR at the Bill Rodgers 5K Run/Walk 5K for Prostate Cancer:


And how is this for pure unbridled joy:


By putting down the anchor of having been a parentified child and feeling the weight of the world on my shoulders, I am free to live and run in joy. I run lighter without the burdens of fear, worry, guilt, blame and shame.

And it's not about joy in the doing. There is joy and happiness in Being.

Hearing the birds sing. Feeling the breeze. Listening to the ocean. Hearing my own heartbeat and appreciating the miracle of my life. Listening to music. Experiencing the change in the seasons here in New England. Sharing in the joy of others. Helping to heal the sorrow in the heart of another and knowing the joy of being able to give from an open, tender, raw heart.

What do you do to cultivate joy in your life? How do you weed the garden of your soul from all that prevents you from knowing and experiencing joy?

Wishing you a joy-ful day.




"Wait, I have one more goal," Mary McManus told her personal trainer in February of 2008 shortly after coming out of her toe up leg brace. "I want to run the Boston Marathon for Spaulding Rehab Hospital." Mary traded in her polio shoes for running shoes and embarked on the journey of a lifetime. Mary McManus was at the height of her career as a VA social worker when she was told by her team at Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital’s International Rehab Center for Polio in December of 2006 that she needed to quit her job if she had any hope of preventing the progression of post polio syndrome, a progressive neuromuscular disease. In “Coming Home: A Memoir of Healing, Hope and Possibility” Mary takes you on her seven year healing odyssey as a survivor of paralytic polio and trauma from her diagnosis, to taking a leap of faith to leave her award winning career at the VA to heal her life and follow her passion as a poet and writer. You’ll experience her trials, tribulations and triumphs as she trains for and crosses the finish line of the 2009 Boston Marathon and discovers the opportunity for healing in the wake of new trauma: the suicide of her nephew in 2011, and the aftermath of the 2013 Boston Marathon bombings. This is Mary's journey of coming home to her human form free from the influences of the ghastly ghostly invaders who had invaded her sacred earthly home. Her memoir includes journals and blog posts from her seven year healing odyssey. This is her journey of transformation and her message of healing, hope and possibility.

I donate 50% of royalty payments through on line sales to The One Fund to help Boston Marathon survivors and their families. Copies are also available at Brookline Marathon Sports. $5 of each book sold at Marathon Sports is donated to The One Fund.









I

Everyone Has a Story-Harvard Pilgrim 10K Race Report

No,I am not suddenly delusional thinking I'm Kathie Lee Gifford. I will not break out into song either, I promise. The blessings of running a race in the back of the pack is you get to share stories and meet amazing people. At the starting line, we met a woman three months out from knee surgery. Her doctor gave her the okay to run/walk the race. As we approached the start, a woman asked if this was our first race. She said it was hers and she was concerned that people would wonder why this overweight woman was even in the race. I gave her the Twitter version of my story and a lot of love and support. That gave her the courage to share that she is a 15 year breast cancer survivor. We high five'd each other and said, "See you at the finish line."

Everyone has a story. Mine begins with a little girl 5,6 years old wearing a leg brace wanting to keep up with my brother and classmates. As my husband and I were preparing for our start he called my attention to a T Shirt, "Don't Panic." The Eagles song, "Take It Easy" was playing and the race director was announcing, no PR's (personal records) today. God was speaking to me. "Don't Panic". I was having a flashback to being left behind. What if I couldn't keep up? How will I know where to go? "Don't Panic" all is taken care of. God was reassuring me. "Take it Easy" - for heaven's sake don't push yourself in this heat. Enjoy the day! I found myself relax and release and had an aha moment. It was not up to me to push myself; it was up to others to show compassion and kindness. Of course, this is about me learning to be compassionate and loving towards myself. It is time to release the sense of competition, pushing myself, and coming from a place of unworthiness and less than. It is time to remember that I am a child of God, a chip off the old block and so with all of my 'imperfections' I am perfection.

Tom and I learned from last week's race to warm up and go out slow. Having seen and heard the messages from God, I paid heed. Last week my heart rate began at 157 and pretty much stayed there. I'm delighted my body could accomplish that especially after a running hiatus, but today it was all about finding a comfortable pace and having FUN! We walked through every water station and made sure we were hydrated. I had my trusty gel with me and at one hour, we took a 'hit' to keep our muscles fueled.

What a thrill to run on the Fourth of July. One family had patriotic music playing on their porch. One woman created a sprinkler with her hose and we ran under it. People waved flags and we celebrated freedom.

A father, mother and their daughter were taking turns pushing their son/brother in a wheelchair. He had a birth defect which resulted in multiple physical challenges. They would run and then walk and drop behind us and then go in front of us. We were running next to two sisters who were training for a 30 mile bike ride for Parkinson's Disease; their mother had died from it this past year. The family would tease that 'those four are the ones to beat'. They would delight in passing us and then when we caught up they said, 'oh no, we gotta speed up.' We passed them and were going to slow down to let them pass us again but they had slowed their pace so my husband suggested we push on.

As we got closer to Gillette Stadium (the race finished on the 50 yard line) all of a sudden, the family came out of nowhere and the daughter sprinted by saying, 'See you at the 50 yard line'. We met a woman who said, "I'm 60 years old and I'm not gonna push myself today in this heat." She told us that it was her first 10K. She sent her daughter on her way and told us that her daughter had lost 100 pounds and discovered the joy of running. She had an article written in Redbook about her; her mom told us how proud she was of her daughter who inspired her to lose over 40 pounds and take up running.

As we entered the tunnel to spring the final yards of the 10K, I drank in the joy of this moment. As we approached the 50 yard line, we flashed a huge smile and saw ourselves on the jumbotron. I stood on the field of Gillette Stadium where world champions play football; where world class entertainers perform. I said to my husband, "Wait a minute. I want to savor this moment and wave to my adoring fans." I am blessed beyond words and so grateful to be able to experience today's 10K run. July 4th - independence - freedom - choice.

Everyone has a story. The people I met today chose to now allow circumstances to limit them. Let freedom ring!

I had to make a choice when I was diagnosed with post polio syndrome. I decided to heal my life and the gift of inspirational poetry was a powerful healing force. I would love to share the gift of God's words of healing, joy, gratitude, overcoming struggles and the power of words to imagine and dream with you.


Hope you had a wonderful Fourth!
Let freedom ring
God bless and be well
With love,
Mary
p.s. Not that it matters but we finished the race in 1:38 a 15:54 minute mile.