Boston's Local Empress of Enthusiasm

Walter Dunbar, a Boston first responder created Soul Action Alliance, a Facebook community whose description is:
SOUL is the attribute of spirit, ACTION is an act of will, ALLIANCE is a group joining forces for a common goal.
Inspiration->motivation->activation.

As Spirit moves me, I share different blog posts on the page that I feel will resonate and invigorate the community.

After sharing, "Going the Distance: My Recipe for Success," Walter shared the link with this comment:

Mary has become Boston's local empress of enthusiasm. She has transformed her life and runs each step with mind, soul and body. Thanks for showing us what's possible. Anything we choose.

Boston's local empress of enthusiasm! I like it ...

I have rebranded myself with that title. I found these wonderful quotes about enthusiasm that embody the Spirit of my journey:



How do you fan the embers of enthusiasm to create a spark and then set your soul on fire?

My intention is that I've added fuel to your flame. May we all shine brightly with enthusiasm flowing to claim our most Divine and royal selves.




Be sure to visit my Author's Page on Amazon to purchase my books that will uplift,inspire and motivate you to move confidently in the direction of your dreams!

Believing is Seeing: Patience, Persistence and Parking Spaces

On Mondays and Thursdays I go to WaveHealth Fitness for swimming and massage. I tell myself that I will always find a metered or handicapped parking space. The one Monday I did not find a parking space, I had conversations which the Universe wanted and needed me to have which would not have happened if I would have found a metered or a handicapped parking space. Now one word about using my handicap placard ... I see it is a Universe Residential Parking Permit. Being able to park and not worry about feeding the meter is a wonderful gift that I accept with a grateful heart.

There used to be many more parking spaces in the Seaport area. Meters have been covered and construction took away a whole row of parking spaces. When there are concerts at the Bank of America Pavillion, parking spaces are at a premium. Yet despite this apparent lack of abundance of parking spaces, I see things differently.

Yesterday as I was driving around looking for a parking space before my massage therapy appointment with Jeff, I saw people pulling out of parking spaces and then another car pulling right up and taking the space a few feet in front of me. This happened several times and I just kept repeating my mantra, there is an abundance of parking spaces. I drove down different streets I usually don't drive down looking for parking widening my search.

A car pulls out across the street but just after I had turned around another car was ready to take its place.

I did not relent in my belief and stayed calm and connected to the Source of all things. I knew that there was a reason this was happening. Reading Candace Pert's book, "Everything you need to know to feel Go(o)d" reminds me of this important message over and over again.

A car pulls out on the other side of the street. I do my U turn and just as I thought someone else had pulled into it, it appeared before my very eyes. It was big enough for a mac truck. I parked and said thank you out loud to the Universe. I noticed something very important about how I was feeling. I felt a deep sense of appreciation for the space because I had to wait for it and experience faith and trust without seeing any evidence that there was an abundance of parking spaces; quite the opposite.



My whole journey during these past 8+ years has been about faith, patience and persistence. I had a lot of soul lessons to learn as I walked a long and winding road to where I am today.

And despite all appearances to the contrary especially after my knee injury last December, I know that total healing is now mine to claim.

Just like I knew I needed to be patient and persistent and not pull into a paid parking lot yesterday, I knew and know that I need to be patient and persistent with my healing. I must say though there is a lot of momentum happening now as I use the skills and tools from my dear friend and healer/chiropractor Dr. Ryan J. Means, keep a regular meditation schedule with Tom, keep a mindful eye on my thoughts and choices and work out with the utter belief and conviction that I have completely healed. I am a runner. I run unencumbered. I run swift and I run a 12:00 minute mile. I have a whole healthy strong left leg healed from polio and surgeries. I have a strong, healthy and vibrant neural net that is nourished by good food, good thoughts and my training. I feel incredible joy and gratitude to know that believing is seeing and the Universe is orchestrating this beautiful symphony we call life.



I chronicle the first 7 years of my healing journey after being diagnosed with post polio syndrome, a progressive neuromuscular disease as a survivor of childhood paralytic polio and 9 years of childhood domestic violence in Coming Home:A Memoir of Healing, Hope and Possibility.


"Feel the Heal: An Anthology of Poems," my latest collection of inspirational poetry is now available soon on Amazon

No Winter Lasts Forever - No Spring Skips Its Turn - Welcome to Boston Spring!

After a record breaking winter with snowfall of 110", we wondered if Spring would ever come. We wondered if the snow would melt in time for opening day at Fenway and for the running of the 119th Boston Marathon. How could the ground transform from white to green and would the buds ever reappear on the trees to grow the colors of Springtime in Boston?

Well Spring never skips its turn. The snow melted. And when once I couldn't see the fence that separated the sidewalk from the little field across from my office window, last night I gazed on this scene:


Earlier in the day as we drove down Commonwealth Avenue, I snapped this photo of the trees in bloom:


When we are going through a tough, grueling time that seems like it will never end or we will never heal, all we need to do is adopt the pace of Mother Nature ... her secret is patience as Emerson taught us:


Mother Nature teaches us that nothing lasts forever. We embrace and survive the challenging times, the winter of our lives and reach out for love and support to help us through. We relish every moment of the splendor that happens after making it through celebrating and delighting with all of our senses another Spring.

Welcome back to Boston Spring! We are so happy you are here.




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.