Sometimes, people we don’t deem as close, surprise us by seeing in us what we fail to see in ourselves. Today, I was surprised!

There’s this acquaintance of mine who happens to be training for the same race I am training for. Obviously when you share a purpose with others this purpose becomes the center of your conversation. With me being me I got excited to train at first then it became sheer agony and got me thinking to seriously pull out. This, of course, all happened during week one of training!

Dania, the acquaintance I have known for 6 years now, is the total opposite of me. She’s dedicated, focused on her goal and determined to make it happen. Unlike me, she doesn’t skip her training runs and has shown massive improvement in so little time.

After skipping my morning run ( in my defense, I had a wedding, but so did Dania), she tells me about her progress. Instead of being motivated, I got all bit too demotivated and felt pulled back again but statements of ” I can’t” or ” What the hell was I thinking”.

I started thinking of the anxiety attacks I was facing this year all the way to my ” Clinical depression” diagnosis. I have been at my highest and lowest this year. Every time I feel like I got my shit together, something happens and punches me in the face so I fall back, deep down under a pile of unsolved issues and fucked up situations.

But Dania said something to me this morning, without me triggering it or asking for it. She said it by herself, out of nowhere and she said it beautifully

She said:”Although we are not close, but I’ve been around u for almost 6 years now. I’ve seen u in all ur moods, shapes, hair colors.. I’ve seen u happy, extremely happy,I’ve seen u down, I’ve even saw u crying,I watched u lose ur shit, and even sometimes lose it positively. I’ve seen excited, I’ve seen u motivated, I’ve seen u playing monopoly for the first time, flying ur own kite. I’ve seen u angry, ohhh really angry, and most of all, I’ve seen u. Who u can be no matter how hard it gets,,no matter which color ur hair is. Look at the mirror, and remember some will see u, better than u even see urself. Learn to embrace ur beauty, from outside and inside. I know u r stronger than that, I’ve seen u stronger”

For this I say: Thank you, my acquaintance no more, but my friend..