Self Respect

It was a couple days after the Boston Marathon that I noticed an interview on Runner’s World online with Desiree Davila. She mentioned someone she would love to run with would be Joan Didion, to thank her for her essay, “Self Respect.” I had never heard of this essay before and immediately googled it to read it myself. The title had already caught my interest. I read it over a couple times to take it in. Here are my thoughts on it.

It quickly led me on to realize how often most of us do not even think about self respect…more so because we have this worry of everyone else. I did not become aware of this idea of self respect in this depth as Joan Didion writes until sometime in college. I realize I am still learning because I lose that respect once in awhile. It becomes easier to look at others, rather than look at your own reflection. Put aside your reputation and what others think of you; who are you? What do we want to become?

These are questions Joan Didion asks us to reflect upon. The essay is a classic on taking in our own identity.  We are all careless from time to time, yet those of us who take the gamble of our own risks and remember that was our own gamble, are those who understand self respect. Flattering others does nothing to enhance our own being.  We easily fall into that trap, but it is significant to see that is not the way to understand our self worth. 

So what does this have to do running? Everything.
Perhaps this how Deiree defines herself worth in ways, which has allowed her to define and overtake her own expectations. Running is after all, a very mental sport; to have a grasp on yourself, allows your legs to fly much higher than we ever thought they could at times.