So, I did a thing...

...I got published in a real book.

Thanks to some prodding and encouragement from a good friend, I picked at a metaphorical scab, and the end result was a story being chosen for this volume of Chicken Soup for the Soul, which goes on sale today.

I wrote about our experience at the Boston Marathon in 2013, the year when the bombs went off at the finish line.

Even though neither Tim nor myself were directly hurt or impacted, the psychological and emotional consequences of the experience have been with me as baggage ever since. I bought Hal Higdon's book about the bombings when it was first published in February, 2014 but it sat on a shelf unread until early this year. I've not been able to watch any of the movies, documentary or fictionalized, that have been made about what happened on April 15, 2013.

Writing about it turned out to be a cathartic experience, and I am honoured that the story was chosen to be a part of this book. In all honesty, the subject matter is compelling enough to warrant inclusion, no matter who the author was. When I began to write the story, the details flooded back, but rather than being painful, they were curative. I've been back to Boston nearly every year since the bombings, and while they never really leave my mind, they have a compartment where they can exist and be recognized as part of who I am, without defining me. As well, this act of returning has gifted me with some cherished, beloved friends who have become a central reason for continuing the tradition each Patriots' Day, and the city of Boston itself has shown me how resilient and spirited it is, and how the marathon's core magic endures, with more vigour and solidarity than ever before.

The story is titled ''Boston Strong''. It's only a couple of pages long, and it starts on page 326, but it's so much more than words on paper.