“I am stronger than I thought.”
That’s what the T-shirt said, when I pulled it out of the packing envelope; the one sent to me by my sweet friend in Tennessee. The note enclosed said it was for completing my first half marathon and there were running shoes just below the quote. I put it on immediately.
I did run a half a marathon in February. I do lace up my shoes and pound out miles on the treadmill and around my neighborhood and I am a stronger runner than I ever thought I’d be. My legs are stronger, my arms… stronger, my lungs and heart and mind are stronger because of the miles I have placed on my tennis shoes.
But when I snapped a picture of myself in my new t-shirt, it was not the strength of my body that put the smile on my face. It was not the muscles in my legs or arms, or the physical strength of any part of me…
Instead, it is a smile of remembering how far I’ve come; not how literally strong my heart is… but how figuratively strong my HEART is. It is a smile of accomplishment, realizing that I am whole again and ready to love and be loved again. It is a smile of realization that I am strong enough to be vulnerable, strong enough to be alone, strong enough to be 100% me … always and only.
I am stronger than I ever thought I could be… on and off the treadmill, on and off the road, in and out of tennis shoes.
I am strong. And more importantly… I am happy.