As the sun entered the light-gray sky ready for its 12-hour shift overlooking Chicago, and many other parts of the world Jeffrey had entered his fifth lap around the football field. The pain in his right leg had already kicked in. The tingly rays of soreness rushed up and down his entire leg like an out of control elevator. He had already grown immune to the pain by now, so it did not faze him to stop. He just continued with his running, enjoying the crisp winter breeze, and the suns’ early-bird warmth.
“Don’t stop,” he repeated aloud in tiny whispers until stopping was no longer an option. He was aiming for 20 laps around the field this morning, and he was determined to finish the 9K before his 9 a.m. class.
In his previous laps he would focus on the race he was preparing for, but this time there was no race to prepare for. Today’s laps were dedicated to his victory… The victory of all five races he participated in during the last six months, and the victory of defeating all the odds that were against him almost a year ago.
As Jeffrey smoothly ran around, and around he could not think of anything but the night that changed his life forever.
It was raining all weekend. Jeffrey was nearing the last hour of his shift at Leo’s Pizza when an order came in sending him off to an unfamiliar town just a few minutes away. It was his first week as delivery boy, and his 3rd job in a month. He was only working to prove to his parents that he could survive without a college degree, but little did he know that in just five minutes, after driving off with three deep dish pies in the passenger seat, and half his attention glued to his girlfriend on the cell phone, he was going to spend the next year proving to himself, his parents, and doctors that he could survive without a leg.
With a smile on his face, and determination in his eyes he made his last few sprints completing the 20th lap of self-victory.
“You can stop now,” Jeffrey said to himself before sitting down to gather his breath and complete his thoughts. Leaning against the fence gazing at the fully blossomed sun he imagines it is shining for him, and only him. Survive, that’s all he had to do.
