Going the Distance: A "Not so Chance" Meeting at the Gym

On Tuesday I was feeling a little bit in a funk. My heart overflowed with joy and gratitude that things are finally coming together for Ruth Anne's treatment plan and miraculous recovery from severe depression and PTSD these past three years. But a part of me missed my old routine and my old health club even though that old routine and the old health club no longer served me.

I struggled with which one of the Boston Sports Clubs I would go to. The one at Fenway didn't seem appealing to me at the moment. "Oh but I have to go to Blick Art to pick up a canvas for Ruth Anne (who is painting at her community-based recovery program) and that's right next door so I have to go to Fenway. Okay then could I at least please have a parking space right across the street?" I asked the Universe.

I gave thanks for my parking space and went into Blick Art. I spotted an entire aisle of canvas and decided to ask for help. The salesperson gave me a lecture about the different types of canvas they stocked and their different uses. I chose what I thought would be appropriate, paid for it and grabbed my gym bag out of the car.

When I got to the Club, I was still a little bit in my own haze but the front desk person, Charles offered me my towels and welcomed me warmly to the Club. There was a sign for a contest to win a personal training session if you could guess how many Superbowls the New England Patriots went to. I asked Charles if I could google it. "Sure, go ahead," he said to me. The internet was very s-l-o-w. I am usually in no rush when I work out on Tuesdays but I had to pick up Tom to go to a dentist appointment by 12:15.

I decided to let go of time and just go with the flow. I found the answer to how many Superbowls the Patriots went to and shared it with Charles, filled out my slip and was about to go on my way.

"Would you be interested in working with a personal trainer?" Charles asked.

I stopped and turned around. "Yes I sure would. Right now I'm training for my third Bermuda Half Marathon but after the Half I want to work with a trainer..." I went on to tell him my story about my journey from a wheelchair to the finish line of the 2009 Boston Marathon and beyond.

A woman walked into the Club and headed to the elevator as I was telling Charles my story. I wrapped up my conversation with him and thanked her for holding the elevator...

"Did you serve in the military?" she asked as we were exiting the elevator.

"No, why? I worked at the VA for almost 20 years but never served."

"Oh I thought I heard you say something about being in the military."

I told her my story as we walked toward the locker room.

Her eyes filled with tears and she told me that she really needed to hear my story. She was feeling in a funk and told me she knows she has so much to be grateful for and nothing really to complain about but she was feeling sorry for herself earlier in the day!

She went on to tell me that her mom had been sexually abused, was homeless living in a car in Washington, DC and was addicted to cocaine. She turned her life around, got married and had two beautiful daughters. As part of her recovery, she began doing triathlons. She is an Ironman and continues to compete. Elizabeth was the woman who I was meant to meet through the delays earlier in the day. She is 6' tall, stunning and teaches power lifting because she wants women to feel empowered and strong; not be afraid of being muscular.

I told her that I was meant to meet her today and briefly told her about my having to leave the health club I used to go to as well as the massage therapist I had worked with at the time. "You get nostalgic - we all do about what we leave behind but isn't it amazing how the Universe works?" she suggested.

She went on to tell me that the client services manager of the Club has MS! She refuses to listen to what the doctors are telling her although she is suffering with the symptoms but fights through them. I gave her my card and she said she would let Carolyn know about me. "You two have got to meet," she said.

We hugged and then hugged again each knowing that this was a not so chance meeting at Boston Sports Club. She wished me the best workout ever!

As I did my workout I reflected on how everything had to align in order for me to be in that very spot at that very moment when Elizabeth arrived at the Club. Had I made any other choices such as getting the canvas after my workout, not taking time to enter the contest or not taking the time to talk with Charles, Elizabeth and my path would not have crossed that day.

I let go of time and I went with the flow...I did not have time to have lunch after my workout before I had to pick up Tom as I had originally planned but I felt a full heart overflowing with love and gratitude having feasted on a most magical connection in that not so chance meeting at the gym.

To going the distance with strength and courage
From my heart to yours,
Mary

Be sure to listen to my interview with Keith Cartwright, "From Polio Survivor to Boston Marathon Finisher" by following this link.

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):

Run Bermuda! Run Happy! Flashback Friday - A God Story: A Treasured Bermuda Marathon Weekend Moment

As we boarded Delta Flight 561 from Boston to Bermuda there was one question being asked up and down the aisles, "You running?" "She's runnin'," Ken McMillan said pointing to his wife in the row behind us. "I'm just support crew." "A very important role to play," I affirmed. Denise was running her last race before turning 55 and celebrating her upcoming birthday at the Bermuda Marathon Weekend 2016.

The excitement filled the cabin as we readied for takeoff.


We learned that Denise and Ken traveled to Boston from Kentucky to get their flight to Bermuda.

During one of our leisurely strolls along Front Street in Bermuda, we "bumped" into Ken and Denise. We exchanged pleasantries and went on our ways.

As I sat reading Bermuda's newspaper, the Royal Gazette, I saw the special section about the Bermuda Marathon Weekend. I snapped these photos and posted on Facebook:


I didn't think anymore about the post.

From "Going the Distance: The Power of Endurance":
We woke up at 5:45am on race day. The Rosedon Hotel, our home away from home, had a continental breakfast starting at 6:30. They usually don't serve breakfast until 7:00 but as happened throughout the weekend, everything we needed was set before us. There was wonderful energy in the main house as runners were getting ready to walk down to the starting line. This was our first international race and our first destination race yet one that we had imagined over and over and over again while we trained. We saw the sunrise over Hamilton Harbor and felt the excitement of race day! I was feeling serious pre-race jitters feeling like I might throw up before the race. We rushed our breakfast because we were in a hurry to get to the starting line. I took a lot of deep breaths and engaged in positive self talk as Tom and I walked around taking pictures of this miraculous moment.



"Hey there. I was determined to find you this morning. What are the chances that we would have our bib numbers in sequence?"...

"I was on Instagram and looked for the hashtag #runbermuda. I saw the pictures you posted."

"What? I deactivated my Instagram account yesterday because I was frustrated and couldn't figure out how to use it."

"Your Instagram account is linked to Facebook so what you posted there automatically went to Instagram," Tom explained to me.

"So I saw your photos and I found out about you and I said prayers for your health last night and wished you a wonderful run but I was determined to find you this morning."

A sign from God that I could relax and let go knowing that my body knew exactly what to do to run 13.1 miles.

Denise had Ken snap this photo:


This is what Denise posted on Facebook with the photo:
This couple sat with us on the plane to Boston, then I discovered our bib numbers were sequential, then we ran into them Friday night. Mary McManus has overcome so much to be at this starting line. I was determined to find her and wish her well the morning of the race, she had been in my thoughts and prayers the night before. I'm so glad I found them and that they are now in my world.

The story does not end there....Denise happened to bump into Lashell Head on a beach in Bermuda. They became fast friends through Megsmiles. I connected with Lashell on Facebook through Denise. I also connected with Melissa Platt through Megsmiles and found out that she was connected to my dear runner friend in Cyberspace Nicole Berglund. Nicole ran the Houston Marathon (her first) on the day of my comeback race in Bermuda.

Fast forward to today and the inspiration for sharing this flashback Friday treasured memory.

There was a Facebook stream by Robert Keith Cartwright aka Keith Cartwright. Lashell shared a recent blog post of mine with Keith suggesting I might be a good guest on his podcast, twotim47.

Keith is running a half marathon on Sunday to help support the Hurricane Harvey relief efforts of St. Andrews Church. His podcast shares stories of runners with the intention that:
Life is like running. How? Tune into the podcast and find out.

​I pray this podcast brings you courage to fight the fights you think you can't win.
I pray it encourages you to fight the good fight, to finish your race, and to keep the faith.
​And, maybe help someone else do the same along the way.

From Delta Flight 561 from Boston to Bermuda in 2016, we arrive in this moment.

And so the village continues to grow and grow as we all bear witness to the wonder and awe of God....running together...sharing stories and doing good in the world through our common humanity and shared faith.

Go the distance with strength and courage,
Mary

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):

The stranger on the bench at the bus stop - Feeling God

Early on in my work with the amazing chiropractor Dr. Ryan, he suggested I read Candace Pert's book:



She came to the Palmer School of Chiropractic Medicine where he was training to become a chiropractor.

Dr. Ryan also recommended, "You Are the Placebo," by Dr. Joe Dispenza. As I read Dr. Joe's book, I felt shifts and changes and healing happening mind, body and Spirit.

As I read Candace's book, I've experienced insights and aha moments in my own healing journey and most recently have been experiencing synchronicity, coherence and harmony which is a consistent theme throughout her book. Even though she died in 2013, her Spirit lives and breathes in the pages of her book.

Candace and her co-author Nancy have an ongoing struggle throughout the book about what should be in the book and how to meet the publisher’s deadline. They complement each other in being the task master and opening up to the Universe and letting the Universe write the book. At one point Nancy said that they can allow the Universe to write the book but the Universe isn’t going to publish the book. It was Nancy’s turn to go with the flow when she saw two of her friends sitting on a park bench. Candace berates her for wanting to take an even longer break from their writing but Nancy is unrelenting in taking her over to her friends. The synchronicity was astounding. The two friends had been turned away from Candace’s lecture the night before because it was sold out. He was going to ask her a question and take issue with the fact that in “What the bleep do we know…” there was not a strong enough emphasis on God. I just happened to read this passage last week.

“And if we wouldn’t have been turned away from the lecture, I would have asked you right then and there whether or not you believe in God.”

I burst out laughing and jumped for joy…

“Let me answer you right now!” I exclaimed. “First I want you to know that as a scientist, I believe in God with all my heart. God is everywhere in the matrix that unites us all. Our meeting today, the sheer synchronicity of you talking about me and then me showing up, is due to the vibration of our molecules organizing at the highest levels to achieve coherence and harmony. This is the demonstration of what I know as God.”

Tom and I drove to the Seaport District to have lunch at 75 on Liberty, one of our favorite go to places. We drove once around the block and there was a parking space waiting for us almost across the street from the restaurant. I thanked God/the Universe for the space and smiled. There was a man sitting on the bench at the bus stop wearing a blue shirt, arms opened wide placed on the back of the bench and legs outstretched in front of him.

"That's a really great parking space," this stranger said to us as we got out of the car.

"They are very rare around here. I was very lucky to get one down the street."

His affect reminded me of the person who appears to Marlee Matlin in the water scene from What the bleep do we know....:


"Well my wife imagines a parking space is available every time she comes down here," Tom said to him.

"Your wife has a very powerful imagination," he said to us.

"Yes...I do ... I imagined myself out of a wheelchair 8 years ago," I replied.

"Good for you," he said.

Here was this person who chose to comment on us getting a really great parking space noticing that the parking spaces are rare in this area. Tom and I were drawn into this vortex of conversation with this complete stranger who affirmed everything I believed and have been working on for these past 8+ years. Time stood still and we both experienced a powerful connection to something beyond us in those magical moments. Tom and I were together having run the longest distance I have run since last year's Tufts 10K and training for the Bermuda Half Marathon. There were so many ways the conversation could or could not have gone yet it was this perfect encounter.

I felt God!

There was no mistaking this encounter as having been orchestrated by a Divine Loving Intelligence.

It was an affirmation from the Divine to continue on my path that yes I do have a powerful imagination and I am a mighty manifester. I need to continue to believe without seeing and to know, to trust that my heart's desire for complete healing is here. now. I can live and breathe as the person I imagined myself to be running free and unencumbered and having every experience from the past healed mind, body and Spirit because I am now that person!

Amazing what happens when you open yourself up and allow yourself to have a chance encounter..for us it was with the stranger at the bus stop who was lucky enough to get a parking space down the street from the Seaport Hotel. It's an opportunity to feel God!



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

My Running Chronicles: Synchronicity

Synchronicity is a concept created by psychiatrist Carl Jung, which holds that events are "meaningful coincidences" if they occur with no apparent causal relationship, yet seem to be meaningfully related.

Candace Pert wrote in her book, 'Everything you need to know to feel Go(o)d' that Deepak Chopra told her that the more you meditate, the more you will notice and experience synchronicity happening in your life.

On Saturday as we came to the end of our 5.5 mile training run for the Bermuda Marathon Weekend,


I visualized the finish as we were coming up on our final hill. I was totally there and I created the scene for Tom. I told him who is going to be at the finish line including Vince Cann, Sundown and Kirk Dill who were members of the Blue Waters Anglers Club who we knew when we went to the Island and when they'd come up here to Falmouth to compete against Boston's Sea and Surf Anglers Club. When we met Stoker Smith at the Finish at the 50 Race Expo he thought that Vince might have passed on. When we skyped with him last week, he said that he would reach out and see if he was still around. I told him where he lived. By the way Vince lives in Warwick near Mike Douglas' house on the Island but I digress.

So I cried and had goosebumps seeing us at the finish line of the Bermuda Half Marathon. It was as though we were there and I could experience the sense of jubilation and exhilaration as well as the sights and smell of Bermuda.

After our training run, I got into my ice bath and had post run fueling with Blue Diamond Gluten free crackers with sesame seeds, an orange and water. I posted our run to Facebook via Nike+ and let myself enjoy the benefits of a post run ice bath feeling my body recover from the run in which we took of 24"/mile of our pace.

We relaxed the rest of the day and I worked on my book, "Going the Distance."

I remember what training for a marathon feels like and it's kind of like going through a pregnancy. Your body is changing and you get all sorts of cravings. Mine came in the form of mashed potatoes so we fixed mashed potatoes and barbecued chicken on the grill with a huge salad. I wanted a decadent dessert and we settled for a half of a Luna bar. We had been considering going out for dessert but something told me to just stay at home....

My phone rings just as we finished dinner. It's a Bermuda number - yup it was Vince! He didn't know what happened to us and said you just kind of disappeared from our lives. I briefly told him about my journey. He was so happy that we are coming back to the Island and said to give him a call as soon as we get in in January.

Not five minutes later, I receive a Skype call from Stoker! He told us that he used the phone book to find Vince once we told him where he lived. He said he was so happy to hear that McManus was fine and was coming to the Island. He was delighted that Vince called us and did not know it would happen so fast. He is going to make plans to meet up with Vince. He thinks they might have met before but now with the connection to us, he wants to reach out to him.

We talked with Stoker as though we have been friends for life. We talked about families, the race and Stoker's plans to return stateside to help out at the Falmouth Road Race Expo. He mentioned that the RD for Bermuda was heading to Maine for the Beach to Beacon 10K and would be meeting with Joan Benoit Samuelson to see if she'd come back to Bermuda to run the marathon in January.

The conversation was filled with magical moments and I just knew and felt in every fiber of my Being that the Divine has a hand in everything that is happening in my life now. Stoker told us that he is working on changing the marathon course from an out and back to one loop saying how you really can't ask volunteers to be out there for 6-8 hours while everyone finishes the race. He told us they have cups of water, bottles of water and gatorade available on the course. "It's a very relaxed atmosphere and few people come to actually race it." He told us one story of how he went to do a sweep of trash and people making sure everyone was fine out on the course if they still wanted to finish and was very distressed that he couldn't find a couple of runners who had registered for the race. He found them in a restaurant enjoying a meal and they had decided to ditch the race. I usually have so much anxiety going into a race that I have not run before but Stoker put me completely at ease. I know it is going to be an absolutely amazing experience to be running my first 13.1 since running Boston in 2009 on that beautiful island of Bermuda.



The Universe is orchestrating a beautiful symphony for my life. Ahh the sweet sounds of synchronicity!

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.


In Journey Well, the journey continues in the wake of my nephew's suicide on 3/4/11 and the events of 4/15/13. Through my journey of healing and transformation, we learn that no matter what life circumstances happen to us, we can always find a way to journey well.


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