I also was very depressed during the first few years of running (and this is still something I work through). So I was okay with dying but I come from a close family so I never wanted to commit suicide.

So I just decided to just live a life on the edge, teetering up to the void and trying to see how close I could get to it. I put myself in the most dangerous places in the world that I could. All so I could prove to myself a foolish point - That life was not worth living.

But it didn’t work.

No matter where I put myself, people felt my vulnerability and always treated me with kindness.

And that is NOT an exaggeration. Hundreds and hundreds of thousands of miles. 35+ countries. 25 of them being 3rd world countries.

I never had plans. I never knew what I was doing.

I learned during all of this that vulnerability and authenticity was the single greatest connector there was. And that it does not convey weakness - It actually conveys strength.

But if there’s any summation to everything I have learned - It’s that people really are good. I have been relentlessly observant, vividly aware of how people really are. These days, I am still running. In my lightest travel year so far, I have spent 5 months moving. But my heart is full of love and a desire to not feel alone anymore. So I pour my heart into the world so that others can feel less alone also.

But I am still learning how to let people be close to me. And not feel so scared when they are. I haven’t figured it out yet but this is definitely me trying.

This is the first time I’ve let the world in on my travels and what this mess can entail. If I had it my way, I would never show anything from it and happily run for the rest of my days. But I’ve learned that happiness is ONLY real when it’s shared - And I just hope that my story, and how I’ve made it this far, might shine a little light on those who are feeling the same thing.

We’re all in it together.