Attitude
She ran up the path through the trees, her running shoes slipping on the poor footing. The sound her feet made on the dirt sounded like “los-er, los-er, los-er.” Her throat hurt from tears that came not from her eyes, but streamed in sweat from her forehead, back, and chest. With her eyes shut tight, she forced her body to go faster up the hill. Lungs burning. Legs numb. Head spinning.
Crumbling under a tree at the top, she pounded her fists on the ground. When she was done, she leaned back and let the tree support her. She took a deep breath. The smell of eucalyptus infused her and released tight red bands of tension into the blue sky. Another deep breath and she could detect the salty undertones of the ocean in her nose and on her tongue.
She stood up. She had no one to blame but herself. But she was also the only one who could make a change. Facing west, she straightened her back and looked up the path. There was only one way to go, and that was forward.
written for the this week’s Writing Parent creative challenge, “Attitude.”