The human spirit is an incredible thing. One moment it gives incredulous cries of pain, unable to grasp the realities of the world that just won’t stop spinning out of control and the next, it’s ready to take control of everything and anything life throws at it.

This morning, I walked into my office. Only a thin wall separates my office and the classroom next door where my colleague was just leading a geography class. The kids were watching a short YouTube documentary made by two Czech travelers. It must be quite a new one considering there it was; the piece of music that has been helping me get through the tough times for the past year or so.

I listened to this song while sitting in an airplane from Zurich to Marrakech. I was flying to a race, a redemption race of sorts, and this song came on just as we were crossing the relatively short distance between the European and African continents. It was going to be my first time on the continent, a fresh start of sorts, having gone through two years of emotional turmoil and failed races. At that moment when the song came on, I knew I could do it. I knew I was going to make it to the end of the 110-kilometer race in the Sahara desert and through all the tough times. I felt free and strong. In the end, I indeed finished the race.

This morning, playing from the other side of the wall, this song brought me to tears. Unbeknownst to me, things have been rough for quite some time again. After that much-needed catharsis, my mind is cleared, and I am, once again, standing on the starting line. This time, however, I know that being back at the start line doesn’t mean I have failed; it means that I am still here, looking for new ways to live instead of giving up the game.

All this being said, I am going to do three things before this week ends:

1. Get back to all my friends who have reached out over the past few weeks.
2. Book a session with my therapist (who has been waiting for my reply for quite some time).
3. Complete and publish the blog/diary from Ultra X Morocco 110 (which I originally meant to publish on November 17th).

Is this an accountability post? Quite possibly. Will it work? I’ve got no idea. Was this written for you or, rather, for myself? Well, why not both?