“Running is the greatest metaphor for life, because you get out of it what you put into it.” 
- Oprah Winfrey

About a year ago I could barely run over a minute and before that during high school I definitely was not a runner or even imagined myself with the ambitions I have today and doing a long distance run. Today I challenged no one but myself. In the years that I've given time to being active, it became another outlet for me. It has really brought any personal feelings of anger, sadness, and stress at ease that got me through the day. Running has gave me strength and pushed me to my highest efforts.

I was very humbled and lifted in this Great Aloha Run by the amount of people who took the time out of their day to be here. I'm usually home by 4am, and here I was waking up at 4 in the morning! With about 30,000 people entered in the run this year and 21,184 finishers, I took 8,802nd in place with the time of 1:41:4. Definitely not dissapointed with my time, I'm happy to even had the courage to start. I can relate this run a lot to life, as my thoughts on it has influenced me in striving to finishing it. People become so absorbed in the past and always look back. I made it a point to not look back once and get hindered by those behind and begin to slow down, but instead only to look forward and continue with the pace with those going ahead. In life, it's all about moving forward and no matter the difficult circumstances in between, you make it to the finish line; success.

Seeing all people of different age, color, physical ability, those on crutches, parents strolling their children, etc. Running in this pack of diversity felt empowering. All the feelings were all shared amongst others and was truly a great experience!

Ok, going single for almost five years now, I've never had a valentine, let alone been in a relationship during this time of year. In those short years I was given the time to learn to love myself. This year, I celebrate for all the love in my life that comes in all forms (family/friends), but there's no love quite like the love you have for yourself. To all other singles, I honor you because you understand that relationships don't always equal happy but love for yourself always equals happy. We are all generaters of love and once you love yourself, your loving energy will reflect back and attract the same love towards you. It's an amazing thing. Once you love yourself, you will never be deprived of any because all the love and happiness you need is already inside of you.

This vday was spent with friends over dinner and a night out. No different from our regular nights out, it was the typical, only thing different is what day it was marked on the calendar. I love my friends, I love my family, I love my hobbies, I love myself. That's all love. All that love will not only make a holiday go by, but is boundless for life.

It is that we are POWERFUL beyond measure.

It is OUR LIGHT, not our darkness, that most frightens us.

We ask ourselves,

"Who Am I to Be Brilliant, Gorgeous, Talented and Fabulous?

Actually, who are you not to be?

You are a CHILD OF GOD.

Your playing small doesn't serve the world. 

There's nothing ENLIGHTENED about shrinking

so that other people won't feel insecure around you.

We were BORN to Make and Manifest the GLORY OF GOD, that is Within US

It's not just in some of us;

IT'S In Every One.

And as we let Our Own Light Shine,

we unconsciously give other people Permission to do the same.

As we are Liberated from Our Own Fear,

Our PRESENCE automatically Liberates others.

"Our Deepest Fear" written by Marrianne Williamson, and spoken by Nelson Mandela, I found this in a dubstep collection of Search and Destroy - "Deepest Fear" . This is  encouraging and powerful, and what you may fear the most is your light not your darkness. I believe we become comfortable in our darkness and are afraid of stepping into the light (our truest potential) because it is unpredictable.

Step into the light, let it lead the way and connect with your power.

August 9, 1963 - February 11, 2012

Rest in Paradise

"I found the greatest love of all...Inside of me." - Whitney Houston