"I was going to say soul but you know wasn't sure," she said.
We exchanged pleasantries about how wonderful swimming is.
"I just ran a half marathon so it's great recovery and rehab or me," I said.
"I don't have any cartilage in my knees. It's the only sport I can enjoy."
We gingerly approached asking each other questions. She learned that I avoided spending the rest of my life in a wheelchair after the diagnosis of Post-Polio syndrome and how running has been a powerful force of healing in my life. I learned that she was envious of runners; that she always wanted to be a marathon runner. She watches the Boston Marathon every year on Heartbreak Hill in front of the Newton Town Hall. I haltingly asked her why she didn't have any cartilage in her knees.
She was a ballet dancer for the New York City Ballet. "My physical therapist told me there was no way I would ever be a runner." She told me that she compares marathoners with ballet. "It takes the same discipline and the same ability to move beyond the body's limits having your mind take over when your body wants to quit."
"I grew up in New York," I said and went on to say, "I loved seeing their Nutcracker."
"It was the best ever right?"
She paused for a moment and shared with me the story of Tanaquil 'Tanny' Le Clercq, a prima ballerina struck down in her prime at the age of 27 by polio.
I remembered the story from a link Tom shared with me several years ago. Here are 2 New York Times articles about the legendary Tanny:
A Dancer's Rare Grace Survives A Horrible Fate
Dancing Around the Truth
There was a documentary "Afternoon of a Faun" made about her rise and epic fall yet had an amazing ability to live only in the present moment.
Margaret, as I learned was her name, was almost in a trance as she told me about Tanny and what an inspiration she was for her. She studied with Tanny who continued to teach ballet and mentor up and coming dancers. She commented how much Tanny inspired her as a dancer.
I shared with Margaret how I reached back to when I was 5 years old and was a ballerina to help myself heal after the diagnosis of Post-Polio Syndrome. "You never forget. That's what I was doing at the end of my swim there." Margaret was in the lane next to ours. I wish I would have seen her dancing in the water.
My mystical encounter with Margaret was unlike any other I had experienced in a locker room at Boston Sports Club or anywhere else. There was a Divine presence that captured and captivated each of us. As I watched her movements, my body lit up inside remembering Miss Patricia and how I felt in ballet class before I contracted paralytic polio. I danced from age 3 until 5 1/2. Being in ballet class holds my fondest childhood memories!
We said goodbye and said we'd probably see each other again exchanging first names and a hand shake. I was inspired by her talents as a ballet dancer and she was inspired by me as a marathoner. Each of us had a quiet yearning to be able to achieve what the other had done and yet it was the same discipline, passion and purpose that drove us manifesting in different art forms.
It's a mystical moment in time that has been imprinted in my body stimulating mirror neurons and muscle memory inspiring my body to continue to heal from the effects of paralytic polio and trauma. It's a mystical moment in time that is imprinted on my heart and soul...
Yes indeed ... a swim is good for the body ... and soul.
To your health and wellness
From my heart to yours,
Mary
Proud to be a part of Friends of Blue Diamond Athletic Displays, Inc. Be sure to visit us at Booth 758 during Boston Marathon Weekend.
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:
And my latest and greatest book - Going the Distance: The Power of Endurance (With a Foreword by Jacqueline Hansen):
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