Celebrating Ten Years of Running: Mile 10 Connections & The Paper Fiesta

When I walked through the door of The Paper Fiesta I feasted my eyes on a unique gift shop experience. The natural light bathed the beautifully arranged array of items. You'll find all your paper goods for your party, gifts and beautiful stationery items such as the journals and note pad I purchased:


I was impressed by how owner Paula Romero-Dunbar, who took a leap of faith leaving her 21 year job at Party Favors to start her own business, and her Boston EMS husband, Walter have woven in the Boston Marathon/Boston Strong theme into the store. There is a special place noting that their store is on Mile 10 of the Boston Marathon:


“Every runner in the 123 year HISTORY of the Boston Marathon RAN past where YOU STAND.”-since 1897

4/15/13 brought us together as we each attended One Boston Day on 4/15/15 at Old South Church. There is a sense of healing and moving forward as survivors and thrivers in the wake of 4/15/13. Paper Fiesta is a space for reflection and celebration!

Paula commented how much she loved seeing us out running when we were training for Bermuda.

"Do you know you're in my next book?" I asked. "The Adventures of Runnergirl 1953." I talk about what a boost you gave us when you honked at us crossing Route 9 and when you went a little way with us the year before when it was freezing out in December."

"When will it be out?" Walter asked.

"As soon as I finish editing it!"

Walter explained how he would like to have events at the store with local artists and authors. I told him I am totally on board and would love to have my book launch at the store!

While paying for my purchases, Paula asked, "How was your ride out?"

"It was horrible. Route 9 has construction and Siri took me via Route 27," I answered.

"Well you can take Route 135 straight in and go along the Boston Marathon route!"

I gathered the gifts I bought for myself, hugged Walter and Paula and went on my way.

I got goosebumps as I drove through Natick and the rolling hills of Wellesley heading into Wellesley College. I vividly remembered 4/20/2009 as I made my way from Hopkinton to Boston; an unlikely runner to be sure! I had never run a day in my life before February of 2008 when I declared that my next health and fitness goal shortly after coming out of a leg brace and wheelchair was to run the Boston Marathon.

I smiled and celebrated myself as I drove from mile 10 and Paper Fiesta, carrying the message of "Strength. History. Spirit. and Hope" with me.

As I got to Wellesley Center, I remembered looking down and finding a penny.

From "The Adventures of Runnergirl 1953":
As we crossed to the Dunkin' Donuts on Beacon Street, our neighbors were waiting with a sign to cheer us on to the finish.

Speaking of signs ….

Bernie Siegel, MD, one of the pioneers in mind/body medicine, and a dear friend since the 1980’s, sent me an email telling me to look for the penny. It would be from him and God telling me everything was all right. I found a penny in Wellesley.

I felt the exhilaration of Marathon Monday after passing the halfway point in Wellesley knowing that I'd done the rest of the route many many times during training runs.

I veered off of Washington Street to take Route 9 home but in my mind's eye I could still remember taking the turn onto Commonwealth Avenue, conquering the hills and crossing the finish line receiving my prize for a year of training and defying the odds as a survivor of childhood paralytic polio and trauma:


Paula took a leap of faith to create this enchanting gift shop in Natick Center. It's a place where memories are treasured, and many beautiful connections will be made. Their Grand Opening is happening tomorrow from 1-4pm with cupcakes, cannolis and connections.

From Walter & Paula:
We love putting smiles on people’s faces! Paper Fiesta is Natick’s new family celebration store specializing in party supplies, gifts, cards and balloons. We don’t believe there should be any “ordinary” special occasions, let us help you make all your celebrations extraordinary! Paper Fiesta is located in the corner pocket of historic Clark’s Block along MILE 10 (rt 135/rt 27) of the legendary Boston Marathon route. Our staff and our store are built upon the foundation of what it means to be Boston Strong. Come by and connect with us. We love what we do.

They sure do love what they do and I'm so excited for their new adventure!

To your health and wellness
From my heart to yours
Mary

My healing journey using the power of visualization is featured in David R. Hamilton's book, "How Your Mind Can Heal Your Body-Anniversary Edition." It's available on Amazon.


Be sure to visit my website by following this link.

My books are available on Amazon.

Feel the Heal: An Anthology of Poems to Heal Your Life


Coming Home: A Memoir of Healing Hope and Possibility that chronicles the first 7 years of my healing journey:


Going the Distance: The Power of Endurance (With a Foreword by Jacqueline Hansen):


***Coming Soon - The Adventures of Runnergirl 1953***
The Adventures of Runnergirl 1953 takes you on Mary McManus’ healing odyssey from a wheelchair to the finish line of the 2009 Boston Marathon and beyond. After the diagnosis of Post-Polio Syndrome in December 2006, Mary got still and asked for Divine Guidance. She harnessed the power of her mind to heal her body, feverishly writing poetry in which she imagined herself healthy, whole and free from the shackles of her youth. Mary’s quest to heal her life led her to the sport of running that tested her mettle while fueling her journey of transformation from a survivor of childhood paralytic polio and severe trauma at the hands of family members to a woman who embodies faith, grace under fire, courage, determination, endurance and resilience. Running became a way of life for Mary. As you’ll discover in “The Adventures of Runnergirl 1953” nothing, not even a serious knee injury in December of 2014 could stop her on the roads or in her life. Mary’s story is one that will leave you cheering for the underdog and discovering the meaning of different ability as Mary overcame every challenge that life presented to her.

Got problems?

Who doesn't right?



Ahhh but no worries because every problem brings incredible gifts.

When I was in the middle of water pouring through the ceiling in my upstairs hallway, through windows and the back door and snow was piled so high we thought we'd never see our back stairs again worried about how would we escape if God forbid there was a fire (Tom told me we could jump out the window and land in the snow pile on the side of the house) I was feeling stressed to the max. People were telling us it would cost at least $2500 to clean the roof and remove the ice dams. Feeling overwhelmed at that point was an understatement. But Spirit is always at work if we open ourselves and ask for help.

First I saw a post from one of my friend's on Facebook that we could submit a claim to our insurance company. Water from above due to ice dams is covered in home owner's policy. We have worked with our agent for years and he was wonderful in helping to initiate the claim. The process went very smoothly and we will be getting additional monies as more damage was revealed as the snow and ice melted.

We needed to do work on the house and the ice dam damage gave us the push we needed.

In the midst of my panic, I was somehow able to hear Spirit suggest "two words" duct tape. There was a political joke about someone predicting the apocalypse and the answer to every problem was two words - duct tape. It certainly was the answer to our problem to prevent further water damage.

And then the Universe sent us Eddie the roofer who only charged us $400 to clear the snow off of the roof; explained to us what was causing the ice dams and that all we needed to do was put some holes in the ceiling to allow for quick drainage. Once the snow was off the roof, the leaking would stop. It took trust and faith in this total stranger that the leaking would in fact stop.

He also told us about Mass Save to have our insulation replaced and to get a home energy audit. We saved $2000 to get new insulation, have proper ventilation for our bathroom fan (which was in violation of a safety code), have work done to prevent ice dams from forming in the future and have already saved over $20/month on our electric bill from the energy audit.

Eddie also referred us to Mike the electrician to have the electrical work done. Mike also found code violations and brought us up to code while he did the repairs from ice dam damage.

As good fortune would have it, Eddie has not only been doing roofing, but does contract work. Next week we begin the final phase of repairs.

I am taking this opportunity to clean and have our home reflect the positive and amazing shift and transformation that is happening in our lives. We will buy a few new things but running things through the washing machine and doing a good scrubbing is really all that's needed.

I am taking it room by room and relishing in the transformation while the process of repairs is happening in other rooms.

It's amazing to feel the energy shift ...

So got problems? Who doesn't right but oh the gifts and treasures we discover wrapped up inside of the problems when we open up to the goodness and benevolence of the Universe. Just remember...



Be blessed! Journey well! To all good things...

My latest book, "Journey Well" is now available on Amazon along with all of my inspirational books. 50% of book proceeds are donated to the Massachusetts Resiliency Center, a safe, welcoming space for survivors of the Boston Marathon bombing to heal and stay in touch with one another; a virtual hub for a widely dispersed community whose lives have been impacted by the tragic events of April 15th and the events that followed.

When terror struck the world's oldest and most beloved marathon on April 15, 2013, it was a defining moment in Mary McManus’ life and the lives of all those in Boston and around the world. It was her wake up call to return to the sport and community that have been medicine and a lifeline for her throughout her marathon of healing the late effects of paralytic polio and experiencing 9 years of domestic violence as a child and adolescent. Mary captures the essence of Boston Strong through her experience of the 2014 Boston Marathon and as she profiles the people who are Boston Stronger. Through her blog posts, poems and journal entries woven together with excerpts from her memoir, “Coming Home: A Memoir of Healing, Hope and Possibility,” you will experience, through one woman’s journey of transformation and healing, that no matter what happens to us, we can all learn to journey well.