Shoes

At the start of Freshmen year I picked up my first pair of running shoes and joined the cross country team.  I was slow at first and got better and better as everyday went on.  I never compared myself with the other runners, I always looked at my personal achievements and I was always proud, no matter how small they were. This is how I grew as not only a runner, but also an individual.  With the right mindset I knew my shoes would make me stronger.  Eventually I was getting faster and faster and after two years of hard work and dedication I finally got to where I wanted to be.  I was so happy.  I felt like nothing could bring me down.  I was on the top of the world.  Then injury struck.  I was devastated.  Betrayed.  I lost all hope and motivation and got slower and slower.  I thought of myself as worthless and I considered giving up on running forever.  Then I remembered my belief from freshmen year, "As long as I have have the right mindset, my shoes will make me stronger."  I then became more motivated and as I am writing this I am thinking about how great I can become.  I may still be injured, but I am getting better.  I need to remember to stay motivated, because my shoes will never let me down.  They can't.  My shoes have become part of my being and I can't even begin to thank them for what they have done for me.  My blue shoes carry me through the long painful days and remind me that I can go farther where as my orange shoes carry me through the fast races.  They help me forget about the pain and they just let me feel free.  They changed my life by leading me in the right direction towards a healthy lifestyle.  I'm no longer the short chubby eighth grader that I once was.  I am now content and I look forward to the possibilities my shoes bring me.  Even though we won't be together forever, because you will have given me everything that I could possibly imagine.  For giving me the chance to fly, I thank you.