Personal Narrative: Defining Who I Am

I believe that I should be defined by neither my sexuality nor my ethnicity. I do not think that neither one is an accurate description of the person I am. I think those two things make me who I am, but they do not define whom I am. I think how I practice my beliefs in my everyday life define who I am. The way I choose to live my life on my own terms defines who I am. My identity is how I react when I fall, what I do when I am dealt a bad hand of cards, how I react to tangled Christmas lights, or a bad 13.1 mile run defines who I am. No amount of makeup I wear will define who I am. It is what I have on the inside that defines who I am. No amount of physical beauty can ever mask an ugly heart. Those are things I believe that defines me as a

I do not think I have ever discriminated against because of the color of my skin, but I know I have because I am woman. Especially a woman that is addicted to running. If it had not been for one woman being brave enough to run the Boston Marathon I would probably have not ran eleven half marathons and two full marathons. Women were not allowed to participate in these types of events because it was a man’s sport. Only men could run. Now all of that has changed. Women are embracing their bodies and embracing what they can do. People tell me all the time that I run like a girl, but to me running like a girl means to be a badass, means to be fierce, means to push my body further than what my mind says is possible, but more importantly proving to myself that I can. People will think whatever they choose to be is right, but having the right attitude and using their negativity, anyone can overcome the preconceived notions of the world. Your attitude will determine how far you go in life. Having a poor attitude is like having four flat tires; you can go anywhere till you put air in them. In this dog, eat dog world sometimes you just have to roll with the punches of life and take whatever comes your way with a grain of salt and dash of pixie