Throwback Thursday

Today I'm throwing it back to 2007. This picture is after I finished the Chicago Marathon. It was a disastrous turn of events that year, as there was a heat wave in October in Chicago, and the event organizers were poorly prepared and ran out of water. Cops were yelling at runners to stop and not finish the marathon. But dangit. I did a lot of emotional healing that year. I had worked hard and sweated in places I didn't even know existed on my body. Nobody was going to stop me from crossing that finish line. They could arrest me if they wanted...... AFTER I crossed the finish line. This picture represents a thousand  silent things. My life had hit rock bottom the year before and I was in a dark, DARK place that I wouldn't wish on anyone. The day I earned this medal was the day I set a lot of demons free. I proved to myself that life was still worth living.... and even though I still struggle with a few inner demons that remain to this day, I will NEVER be the person in this picture. Life has been good to me. I've been blessed with so much more than I ever deserve.