Running for My Life Anonymous

As the cliché states, anything worth achieving only comes through blood, sweat, and tears. Well, in my case, it was lots of sweat, some tears, and a little bit of blood—I tripped over branches periodically. At the age of fifteen, I encountered an obstacle I couldn't simply circumvent: my weight. Unlike most difficulties I had encountered up until that point in my life, there was no instantaneous fix for being obese. I would have to persevere and remain diligent to see any sort of result; after a sobering doctor's appointment, I decided I would wake up the next day and do what any sane person would: pound some pavement and go for a run.

With "Don't Stop" by Fleetwood Mac blaring in my ears - if Bill Clinton could win a presidency with that song, it could motivate me to run - I set off for a jog. Let's just say "Don't Stop" was still playing when I decided to stop running and start walking. I realized that I didn't actually know how to run; I imagine I may have resembled an extra from the Walking Dead mixed with Phoebe from Friends in my attempt. I decided that it may be prudent of me to begin my journey with a "single step" and walk instead since I once bought the Lao-tzu quote on a bookmark (so it had to have worked for...