photo by: LanellLeone Photography
Remember in 2015 when Rachel Platten
released her Fight Song?
Everyone was gaining strength and courage for
their personal battles. Children with cancer, adults losing loved ones. It was
idolized by many.
Just as the
Fight Song, brings strength to many, I find myself turning to a different song
for strength.
Back in
July 2016, celebrating Independence Day, Ric and I were running a spontaneous weekend 5K. I hadn't done anything athletic of the such, in over a year.
My body was (and still is) recovering from pregnancy. (Will it ever recover?
The unknown question we all wonder. Whether I do or don't, I've got a dang cute
kid to show for it, and that is worth any sacrifice, in my book.) The starting gun went off and I began pacing myself slowly. The adrenaline of the race carried me for a short half mile. Then, I started struggling. Fatigue in my limbs, tightening of
the airways, and the mental game. My goals going into this race were simply; 'to not walk', and 'finish'. However, at this point I was truly certain I wasn't going to run much more, and simply 'hoping' to cross that
finish line. I turned to Ric and said, "You need to
carry me through this race, because I am done. I need you to distract my mind
and start telling me a story. Please, assess my body from your eyes and
adjust our pace accordingly. I'll focus on my breathing...you
distract my mind and you pace my body.' He began recalling the history of our
Country, fighting for their independence. Telling stories of military
troops and the wars and battles they had had to endure. How quickly my mind
shifted. Here I was 26 years old, in a first world country, a beautiful day,
perfect weather, my husband by my side and I thought I was
having a hard time. I thought I wasn't going to endure. I
reflected back on my own two cousins who served in the Marines. The 20+ mile runs with weighted packs on their backs, through the sand. I thought back
on all the Troops who went days on end without sleep in battle, days of
physical exertion. I became so humbled and grateful I had tears filling my eyes. I could endure and I was going to finish. I didn't finish pretty, but
I didn't stop or walk. We finished just over the pace time, I was secretly hoping
to finish in -- because, what athlete ever really loses that competitiveness
with themselves? ;)
Now, I have
never been a soldier fighting for my freedoms or in a war with bullets, camo and
the flag on my shoulder. But everyday I fight for my life, for freedom from
this illness.
Years ago when I
heard The Killer's song, All These Things That I've Done, the line - I
got soul but I'm not a soldier; resonated inside me like nothing had before. It was almost as if Brandon Flowers, knew what I was going through, and was speaking to me. This was exactly how I
felt about my daily battle with cystic fibrosis. One that will never stop
attacking and one that I will never stop fighting back. I knew I wasn't a
soldier in camouflage, but I was my own soul-dier. I'd never be on the battlefield with a gun, but I'd be on the daily,
the minute, the every second battlefield of my own body. And that takes
courage.
I may not
be a soldier, but I AM A SOULDIER.
The past
year as this Sherman Army has grown larger and stronger than I ever imagined, I
feel your strength as my fellow souldiers. I couldn't do this without you.
And so, we release to you, and anyone else fighting as a souldier, our new Souldier Tee.
And so, we release to you, and anyone else fighting as a souldier, our new Souldier Tee.
Xx, M
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