After the weight gain, after the cancer, after financial ruin, after the loss of loved ones, I hit what can only be described as rock bottom. I was spiritually defeated, emotionally destitute, drowning in my own darkness.
And in the midst of all of it, reaching out for help from the waters in which I slowly sank, the people I thought would offer a lifeline did not. I received only derision, alienation, and mockery — the wound from which I was convinced there was no recovery.
In a final, last-ditch effort, I pulled from within me what little strength I had left to fight one more time against the darkness, and amidst the defeat and sorrow I found a strength I did not know existed.
Defeat turned into resurrection. Pain turned into purpose. For some, running is about healing, and the more they run, the more they heal. For me, the journey was about finding my strength, my value, and my place in this world.
Looking back, I can tell you only one truth revealed by my ascent out of hell. If you do not heal from what hurt you, you will bleed on people who did not cut you.
They laughed at me. They will laugh at you. Let them laugh.