“Plantar fasciitis.” These were the words spoken to me in an alien dialect. The foreign tongue was not as hidden as it first appeared; the words were cloaked with an ominous and sullen tone. I knew it wasn’t good.

Opportunity often presents itself in peculiar ways. It can be as simple as how you respond to a challenge. I found my challenge, and my response made a difference in my life. I swore that if I could persevere through this, I would persevere through anything.

The pain was the easy part. I became used to it with time, until it became as familiar as my shadow. It became so known to me that my body would give out before my mind; collapsing along trails, almost as if an unknown force shoved me to the earth. Only it wasn’t unknown, it was very familiar.

I was coached that the mind could withstand eight times as much pain as the body, or was it nine? Regardless every time I fell, I stood back up. If it wasn’t going to run away, then I just needed to become familiar with it. I needed to become one with my shadow.

My shadow has become my biggest motivator, my biggest problem, and it has become one with me. Every jolt of pain that brings me down to earth, to the taste of sweat and dust brings me jubilance. With every fall, I celebrate.