I am a champion...

“And you’re gonna hear me roar…”

OK, I admit it. I own a lot of Katy Perry music. It’s like the one time someone asked me if I was a closet Journey fan, and I replied “there’s no closet about it!”

Though you’re probably wondering why I’m writing about Katy Perry. I bought two new songs the other day to add to my running playlist – “Roar” by Katy Perry and “Applause” by Lady Gaga. They've both been in my head recently.

When I had my really crappy run on Sunday, “Roar” came on at about the 6.5 mile mark. For some reason, it was the right song for the time, because I was heading down a hill and I actually had a good section of running. I was singing, but there wasn't anyone around to hear (thank goodness).

The song is relevant to me right now, similar to how “Wide Awake” was relevant for a good stretch of time at the end of last year and beginning of this year. Right now, I’m in the midst of what I might consider a re-emergence. I've laid low a lot of this year and focused on my running, school, my apartment and my dog. I've spent a lot less money on gas, and gotten rid of a TON of stuff.

But in recent weeks, I’ve started leaving my shell. Part of that is due to feeling much better after talking to my doctor and getting a good dose of vitamin B12 (yay, shots!) to solve my fatigue issues. Part of that is that I’ve missed the people that matter to me.

But I think most of it is that I’ve decided it’s time to be me and not worry about what other people think of me. Over the last year, I found out a lot about who my friends are and who just wants to cause trouble and perpetuate drama. My friends are the ones that deserve my time and attention, along with the causes that I care about. Between those things and running, school, etc., I don’t have time to deal with the negativity and bullshit that others seem to keep focusing on.

It might be that I turn 33 soon and have learned quite a bit on the journey here. It might be that I’ve figured out if people have nothing better to do than talk crap about me when I’m not even there, that’s their problem, not mine.

What I can control is what I do. And I’m going to enjoy my life, doing the things that I like to do, use the word “no” more and not let others define me.

"I’ve got the eye of the tiger, a fighter, dancing through the fire, ‘cause I am a champion and you’re gonna hear me roar…”