I adopt the pace of nature - Patience

Even though the calendar says March 25th, it does not feel like Spring here in New England. There is still snow on the ground, the air is cold and the trees are barren still worn from the recent spate of storms we've had since January. There is a hint of Spring in the air with more hours of daylight and the birds singing early in the morning. Many are asking when is Spring ever going to get here but when we adopt the pace of nature, we are patient. The warmth of Spring and the burst of colors is that much sweeter when we have gone through the recent rough patch of winter. We can experience the joyous anticipation of Spring in the smallest hints of green shoots poking their head through the ground or feeling the warmth of Springtime sun even though the air is still cold. We know the sweet reward that awaits us when we are patient.

I am on the mailing list for a lot of races and see a lot of my favorite races in my Facebook news feed. Last year I ran The Michael K. Aselton 5K on Cape Cod Memorial Day Weekend for the first time. The Corrib Pub 5K was the first race I ever ran 10 years ago. Finish at the 50 on July 3rd holds many special memories for me.

I must wait to sign up for any races until I completely heal from the issues that plagued me during and after running my 3rd consecutive Bermuda Half Marathon.

I would not trade running in the 2018 Bermuda Half Marathon to be able to run races right now. It was a triumphant race for me and demonstrated to me that the body achieves what the mind believes. I dug deep getting myself to the starting line and enjoyed every moment and every mile of the 13.1 course along Bermuda's scenic race course.

Now I need to be patient. I know that every day in every way I heal. I'm swimming, doing the bike and doing strength training. Weather and body permitting I get out and do a very slow and easy 5K. I see my chiropractor weekly and meditate 3 times a day visualizing complete healing. It's a miracle that I am a runner given the diagnosis I received 11 years ago; Post-Polio Syndrome, a progressive neuromuscular disease.

After I ran the Boston Marathon I was a physical wreck but oh so very happy with my accomplishment. I saw my cervical spine doctor for another trigger injection, and he referred me to a wonderful physical therapist. She told me that I had to take time off from running to build strength and allow my body to heal after the rigors of training for a marathon having had a zero base of running. I was patient and adhered to the PT regimen she recommended. By June of 2010 I was back on the roads feeling wonderful.



I look forward to when I'll be crossing another finish line with hands held high as Team McManus with my bestie Tom by my side.

But for now - I adopt the pace of nature. Her secret is patience.


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):

Patience and Celebration!

I knew that I was pushing my body going for a streak of 3 Bermuda Half Marathons in as many years. After my 2017 Bermuda Half I felt it was time to take a break but as fate would have it, we received an invitational entry from the Race Director. You don't say no to a free entry and you NEVER say no to a Bermudian's hospitality!

I felt great after the 2016 Bermuda Half Marathon:


Tom and I went on to run the 2016 Hyannis 10K together:


After pushing through the last 3 miles, with the help of an earth angel at mile 12, Tom and I crossed the finish line of the 2017 Bermuda Half Marathon:


Here we are after I had a brief stint in the medical tent:


We made sure that we did not make the same mistakes in 2018 as we had in 2017 and even though it took us 5 hours to cross the finish line, we did so happy and for me, standing upright!


I smile and celebrate this miraculous accomplishment of a streak of 3 consecutive Bermuda Half Marathons ... Eleven years ago I was told to prepare to spend the rest of my life in a wheelchair after the diagnosis of Post-Polio Syndrome, a progressive neuromuscular disease by Western Medicine Standards. Three years ago I was told to stop running or cap my distance after my left knee blew out and told to prepare for a total knee replacement in a few years. Ironically, my left knee is fine and other issues presented themselves in the later phase of our training for Bermuda 2018.

I also celebrate when I am fully recovered from the rigors of training for said 3 Bermuda Half Marathons.

I went into the race with a muscle strain and hip/back/groin issues. But hey I ran the 2009 Boston Marathon with a groin pull and a variety of other issues but nothing was going to stop me after all the training and all the mental preparation for going the distance of 26.2 miles. A Half Marathon was only half as far.

I am SO happy and delighted that I pushed myself to go the distance.

But now it's time for me to heal ... and that process takes patience once again.

I know and believe in my body's incredible capacity to heal but I must create the optimal environment for it to recover and continue to heal from the effects of paralytic polio and trauma. I celebrate having healed so much in this 11 year healing odyssey and celebrate how I healed a breast tumor, a suspicious lesion on my nose that is now merely a scar:


and my left knee

I've started meditating 3 times a day to facilitate my body's natural ability to heal. I use Bernie Siegel's guided meditations and Dr. Joe Dispenza's Blessing of the Energy Centers. I've scheduled weekly chiropractic sessions for the month of March and can always extend it into April if I find that I need more than every other week treatments.

I'm stretching a lot during the day and using my massage stick.

Fortunately I've had a lot of physical therapy through the years so I'm using the pool at Boston Sports Club twice a week for my aquatics therapy as well as continuing to build strength and work out for my health and wellness. I'm using the stationary bike at the gym to get in my miles/cardio workout and our Team McManus home gym for strength training. I do a very gentle run/walk once a week for a 5K distance but if the weather is too cold or challenging, I'll do the bike instead. I've been scoping out the classes at Boston Sports Club and my mind is very excited to participate in them but first my body has some healing to do.

As I move forward in my healing journey, it's a time for patience and celebration! I'm so blessed and grateful I continue to go the distance and very excited for what's next! I celebrate all that has been and all that is yet to be!

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):

Countdown to Bermuda: On Patience, Persistence and Trusting the Process

Bermuda Half Marathon III is less than 90 days away! We deposited another 10 miles in the Bank of Bermuda yesterday on a drizzly, cloudy and then the skies opened up just as we finished kind of weather day.


As in running and as in life ... we laughed .... like when we put on our ponchos and the sleeves weren't snapped ... I asked, "Should we snap these or are we going to be wizards?" And when we do slam poetry inspired by sprinkles of rain, swans and anything that catches our eyes or minds while we run.

We got frustrated and barked at each other worked out some "stuff" and then focused on gratitude - for the gift of running and being able to run outdoors in nature experiencing One with all that is.

And we celebrated another training run in the books!

I'm in uncharted territory here....

I wasn't planning to run Bermuda Half Marathon III but of course who could refuse a Bermudian's invitational entry and a great rate at the Fairmount Southampton Princess?

I thought I needed to take time off to recover from Bermuda Marathon II which was a challenging day for me and to be perfectly honest, I didn't want to challenge (read that as tempt fate) the healing I'd done from the effects of paralytic polio and trauma during these past ten years.

But the best way to not have the past have an influence over me, the best way to create my future and continue the process of healing is to challenge myself and have new experiences to create new memories that whisk away the neurological connections that were hard wired from the past rewiring with new connections.

Mile 10 was when the wheels fell off the wagon for me in January during Bermuda Half II. Perhaps that's why I made sure our training schedule amped up to mile 10 and then we did 3 weeks of 10 miles of training.

This month is the anniversary of when I first reached out to Spaulding Rehab's International Rehab Center for Polio and was in the dark night of my mind, body and soul. They diagnosed me with Post-Polio Syndrome, a progressive neuromuscular disease. December is the 3 year anniversary of when I had a serious knee injury that almost sidelined me both in life and in running. That MRI indicated an atrophied gastroc muscle, a knee that would need a total knee in the next two years and the admonishment once again that I should not run.I also received an invitation to return to the Post-Polio Clinic for a re-evaluation of my symptoms because after all, it was only a matter of time before my symptoms worsened as they prognosticated in December of 2006.

But all that I had set into motion with incredibly powerful intention and emotion through my poetry could not be stopped!

In the wake of that knee injury I was blessed to have met Dr. Ryan J. Means, a healer and a chiropractor who helped me to get back on my healing path, back on the roads AND who led me to the work of Dr. Joe Dispenza.

I could feel my energy waning last week and doubts and fears creeping into the training for Bermuda Half Marathon III.

So what did this runnergirl1953 do?

First of all even though I could feel the twinges of what happened at mile 10, I also remembered that I powered through and that my body made an incredibly quick recovery from the muscle spasms and cramps.

The Universe delivered a Live Stream session with Dr. Joe that was powerful for me. It's been available all weekend long. I've reviewed the session, took notes and am doing the meditation again today.

I signed up for his monthly teleclasses.

I scheduled weekly chiropractic sessions with Dr. Lizzie Sobel.

I remind myself over and over and over again that I am healthy, whole, healed and strong.

It's time to visualize and feel the race during training runs and during cross training. I am feeling a stirring in my soul very excited to be representing what's possible when I tether myself to the Divine Mind, be patient with myself and trust the process knowing that the results are here.

Having no control over my body during Bermuda Half II triggered memories from when I collapsed in kindergarten class having been stricken with paralytic polio. Perhaps it was a memory waiting to be triggered that I needed to heal and being able to power through having love and support take me to the finish created new neurological pathways to completely heal that memory by having a different outcome. That was a powerful neurological imprint along with traumatic events that followed that I have been working to rewire ever since I began this healing journey 10 years ago.

After all:


So look out world...next week Team McManus will be running 10.5 miles on the road to Bermuda Marathon Weekend III. I'm tossing my fears and doubts and caution to the wind!



I AM going the distance with patience, persistence and trusting the process of healing and training!

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):

Going the Distance: On Patience and Reclaiming Beauty!

It's been two years since my beloved chiropractor healer, Dr. Ryan taught me about the proper form for squats and about using the support of the wall. It was shortly after a serious knee injury in December of 2014 when a physiatrist, physical therapists and even the massage therapist I was working with at the time told me that I shouldn't/wouldn't/couldn't run again. Oh but if I did it should be no more than a 5 miler. "We told you shouldn't have been running in the first place, but it's your life and you're gonna do what you're gonna do....Why don't you schedule appointments again at the Post-Polio Clinic and let's see how we can help you....Yes you're gastroc muscle is atrophied. We know that. It's been that way since you had polio. There's nothing you can do about that."

Oh really?

Dr. Ryan turned me onto the work of Dr. Joe Dispenza. I poured over "You Are the Placebo." Dr. Ryan taped my calf to stimulate the growth of new muscle. He recommended gastroc muscle strengthening exercises. At first I could not go up and down on my toes on my left leg - the leg most affected by the polio virus. We used the concept of mirror neurons; stimulating the connection of my left leg by "watching" the right leg move up and down on my toes while stimulating the connection of going up and down on my toes with both legs. Little by little, with patience, I have grown a new gastroc muscle! I continue to practice gastroc muscle strengthening exercises both on land and in the pool.

This past Sunday while strength training on land - a milestone in and of itself because for years I wasn't able to strength train on land due to the effects of childhood/adolescent trauma and paralytic polio - I was able to do 25 squats away from the wall. It just happened. My body was ready and everything fired up to make that happen.

Perhaps one of my greatest challenges in healing the effects of paralytic polio and trauma has been reclaiming my beauty. The woman who gave birth to me and the woman who gave birth to her had this twisted and convoluted view of beauty. In all fairness, part of that was cultural back in the 60's but where things went terribly awry was their reaction to me after contracting paralytic polio.

I was a beautiful ballerina with long shiny hair. I was graceful and loved being in my body.

Imagine if you will the story from "A Chorus Line" - "At the Ballet"

My ballet teacher, Miss Patricia was my role model for beauty and grace.



After disaster struck with contracting paralytic polio, I felt ugly and despised my body. They carted me off to the hairdresser to get my hair cut off because long hair was too much trouble to take care of. As if that were not enough to leave me feeling ugly, physical, sexual and emotional abuse began when I was 8 years old, just 3 years after contracting paralytic polio and continued until I was 17.



I have to continue to practice patience as my body continues to heal from the ravages of paralytic polio and violence. The pain I experience is the pain of healing; the soreness a sign of strength.

I reclaim my beauty that reflects the incredible resilience of my Spirit and the Love in my heart; beauty in the wrinkles and the silver in my hair that reflect the passage of time.

I celebrate all of my gains in these past 2 years and the incredible journey of transformation and I adopt the pace of Mother Nature as I continue to challenge myself and heal the wounds of a war torn youth.

To your health and wellness,
~Mary

My latest book, 'Going the Distance: The Power of Endurance' is available on Amazon chronicling my journey to health and wellness as a survivor of paralytic polio and trauma and a woman who refused to quit!

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.

Lessons learned from a crashed hard drive

The dreaded swirling thingie was going full tilt on my mac laptop on Friday evening.



Fortunately my husband is a techie and I asked him for help.

As we tried different ways to reboot, there was bad news. The hard drive had crashed.

Tom tried calling the Apple Store and decided to make a trip down there without an appointment gently taking my laptop with all of my poems and journals, quotes and images to the Apple Store. We had two back ups but didn't know the last time it was able to back up. While he took my computer to the Apple Store, I took out pen and paper and tried to recall recent entries.

I had started a poem about the Shifting Sands of Time and it was a wonderful opportunity to be still and finish the poem.




The Shifting Sands of Time

She wades into the water past present and future swirl at her feet
wringing out with cleansing sobs tears bitter salty sweet.
Gazing on horizon contemplating all that went before
oddly grounded in this moment shifting sands upon the shore.
As seagulls soar above her they remind her she's now whole
from holy hell to journey well she traveled in her soul.
Drinking in the sunshine once doused fire now is lit
a brave and mighty Spirit running free she breaks the bit.
The warmth of sand between her toes her hair a mighty mane
resounding rhythm lapping waves echo life's refrain.
Unbridled joy and freedom breath heaving heart is light
footsteps sure and steady soon disappear from sight.
With an inner knowing smile drenched in sweat her pace can cease
no longer seeking she is found and walks her path of peace.

Tom came back in short order telling me that the only time the Genius Bar had available was on Tuesday. He explained that it just needed a new hard drive. "Oh we don't sell hard drives here. You'd have to leave the machine. We order it and then you come back to pick it up."

Tom was going to try to make it to Microcenter where they sell hard drives before they closed at 9 pm but since it started snowing decided to come home.

I suggested that we just reboot it and asked the angel techies to come and help save my computer.

Tom decided to allow me to give it a try.

We walked away and were patient deciding that we'd probably need to leave it overnight to do whatever it was going to do although Tom, with his 35 years in the computer industry told me to not be too hopeful. I suggested we join together in optimism that somehow the machine would fix itself.

About a half an hour later I walked by and said, "We have a screen saver."

Tom suggested we leave the machine overnight as planned and on Saturday morning he ran a utility program that was able to restore the hard drive and it's working better than ever without any more swirly thingies.

If we would have panicked and Tom tried to get to Microcenter to buy a hard drive and/or a new mac before they closed, we would have wasted a lot of precious time and money. Now it could have happened that it did not restore itself and we would have addressed that but it's amazing what can happen with patience, faith and the magical touch of a seasoned techie to restore a computer when it had a very grim prognosis.

All of my documents were there although I was fully prepared for whatever might have been lost knowing about the impermanence of all things.

I am, however, extremely grateful that my work is in tact and embrace the wonderful lessons learned from a crashed hard drive.

Journey well!

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.

Patience and Confidence

When we are in the midst of getting from here to there, it is so hard to have patience and trust that all will be well. It may take more time and effort than we had originally planned to get through whatever it is we need to get through but while we are on the journey we can imagine a wonderful "there". For me, I am imagining that first warm, dry day of Spring with the sun shining wearing only a light jacket to go outside.

When we have patience and don't panic, we are able to allow for the time needed to have things evolve and work out as they are meant to work out. Our angel roofer Eddie told us that the leak in our ceiling would stop after several hours. The phrase a watched pot never boils and a leaking ceiling never stops if you watch it applies here. We put old t shirts in a big pot and a pail, went to bed and when we woke up, the ceiling had stopped leaking! Initially there were no leaks anywhere but as the sun hit our house, even though the temperatures are freezing, melting began and we sprung a leak through our back door. I brought out the duct tape, Tom is coming home from work to help assess and tape and clear off ice on the top of the awning that may be the culprit for the dripping and I'll go to my Aquatics Therapy class entrusting our home to the angels.

I received a call from our insurance company. Homes are covered for damage caused by ice dams. He was so wonderful and supportive telling me that as a claims adjuster and a homeowner going through the same thing, he is working hard to provide support and expedite claims. When I told him I had to put down the duct tape and get a pen and paper, he said it's something new every day isn't it?

When all the leaking started, I freaked out. One thing that frightened me was a flash from the past when I was left all alone to figure things out and straighten out messes from a very messy family. Who was honorable and trustworthy who was going to help us? So many of my friends sent an outpouring of support and resources. Everything I need is available to us. I was and am never alone but there are those feelings of wondering when and how will it end and the panic of a child and adolescent mind. Through meditation I am able to calm myself and bring myself back to the present. I use that time to also reflect on the blessings and grace that abound in my life and the confidence that no matter what, I can indeed journey well. I reflected on the miracle of my emerging from my family situation and the goodness that was there. My Zadie, my grandfather had the roofing business with my Uncle Al in Philadelphia. He was a wonderful story teller and adored having all of his grandchildren in a circle around him after we'd feast on bagel, lox, chub fish and sticky buns. I know he had a hand in sending us Eddie the roofer. The name of Eddie's business is Brookline Roofing and Sheet Metal. My Zadie's business was Alper and Sons Roofing and Sheet Metal.

When I had injured my knee, in the midst of the swelling and pain I wondered if I would ever be able to walk again. After a few days of rest, I walked with a cane. After another week of building core strength, I walked without the cane. Would I be able to use my recumbent bike again without pain? Oh yes and now I am up to 40 minutes and 8+ miles. It takes patience and discipline for me to adhere to my health and wellness program. I need to trust in and feel confidence in my body's tremendous healing capacity. I am building a team of wonderful complementary providers to support the work that I do each and every day and that will help me to get back on the roads and age well.

Patience and time - powerful warriors to navigate through stressful times.

Journey well!

"Journey Well" and all of my inspirational books are available on Amazon.

"Journey Well" is a book about resilience, strength, courage and how we are able to journey well no matter what conditions life hands to us. I profile the people who are Boston Stronger and share how 4/15/13 was a wake up call to me to return to my healing path from contracting paralytic polio at age 5 and 9 years of domestic violence as a child and adolescent.



50% of all book proceeds are donated to AccesSportAmerica where people of all ages and abilities achieve higher function and fitness through high challenge sports and training.