On the invitation to Spaulding Rehab's fund raiser for the Weingarten Adaptive Sports Program, there is a photo of an ant windsurfing. I thought to myself, how odd that they use an ant. I think of ants as those pesky little creatures who run amok at a picnic. As emcee of the program, Kelly Tuthill of WCVB Channel 5 here in Boston talked about that little old ant in the song "High Hopes". In case you are not familiar with it, the lyrics are:
Next time your found, with your chin on the ground
There a lot to be learned, so look around
Just what makes that little old ant
Think hell move that rubber tree plant
Anyone knows an ant, cant
Move a rubber tree plant
But he's got high hopes, he's got high hopes
Hes got high apple pie, in the sky hopes
So any time your gettin low
stead of lettin go
Just remember that ant
Oops there goes another rubber tree plant
All problems just a toy balloon
They'll be bursted soon
They're just bound to go pop
Oops there goes another problem kerplop
What a wonderful philosophy! I was that little old ant running the Boston Marathon holding onto a vision of hope and possibility. My vision of hope and possibility is that we will be able to eradicate polio worldwide. I saw a video on the Rotary Club website about an exhibit at the Roosevelt Institute at Warm Springs Georgia. The narrator mentioned that polio was the AIDS of its day. It's an often forgotten disease because 99% of the cases of polio have been eradicated. Because we are a global economy, as Bill Gates pointed out as the Gates Foundation donated $255 million to Rotary Club International to eradicate polio worldwide, as long as there is one active case, there is a risk of another epidemic. Now those of you who know me know that I am not a doom and gloom person; that I focus on the positive and live in creation rather than reaction. What Rotary International, The Gates Foundation, Unicef, and The Salk Institute are doing is working together to both eradicate polio and better understand the mechanisms involved in post polio syndrome to ensure a wonderful quality of life for those affected by polio.
I am so excited that I will be attending the End Polio Now benefit concert in New York on December 2nd at Lincoln Center. Itzhak Perlman, a polio survivor is the featured soloist. I sent him a letter about my journey with polio and post polio syndrome and a complimentary copy of my book. I also sent off a copy of my book to the conductor for the night, Daniel Boico, my bio, a letter of introduction, the poems I wrote on the Road to the Boston Marathon and a suggestion that this little old ant polio/post polio survivor be included in the program to read a poem and to shine the light on hope, possibility and the indomitable human spirit's ability to overcome life's greatest challenges. Yes, I have HIGH HOPES! To learn more about Rotary Club International's efforts to eradicate polio, visit http://tinyurl.com/dmhwc4
Mary McManus is the author of "New World Greetings:Inspirational Poetry and Musings for a New World" overflowing with messages of hope, gratitude, love and healing. She generously donates 20% of book proceeds to Spaulding Rehab's Polio Fund. You can follow Mary on Twitter @gracefullady and contact her via her website at www.newworldgreetings.com
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