As a routineer, the first part of my routine besides waking up is one of the most important things to having a good day. For me, that thing is running, so for this project, I picked my running shoes. As a kid, I ran track and loved it. During the pandemic, I fell out of love with playing soccer, and worse, became lethargic. I knew I needed experiences to challenge me, so I committed to running every morning during my sophomore year to combat the lassitude of lockdown. I was up at 6 am for a two-mile run. Last year, I was up at 5:45, running a 5K. Now, I’m up at 5:30, running five miles daily. Running has become a staple of my day and is often the best part of it. It provides me with a sense of solitude, and allows me to become grateful for small things like leaving the house and coming back, the ability to walk, inter alia. It has become my sanctuary to destress as I only focus on the next step. Additionally, when I’m in new places, running allows me to see places in a city I wouldn’t expect to. For example, I never expected to run around a volcano in Hawaii, but running enabled that experience. Through this, running not only helps me improve my physical self but also my mental self, it is pivotal to me becoming a better person. 

Relationship:  Child of im/migrant Child of im/migrant