I felt like I was running late, but I needed to fit in a run. I threw on my running clothes, quickly pulled on socks and slipped my feet into my running shoes. My sock was bunched but I didn’t think that I had time to take off my shoe and straighten it out.

Initially it just started with irritation, the sock just didn’t feel right. I thought if I wiggled my toes, acknowledged it, and then try to put it out of my mind that it would go away. The farther I ran, the more obvious the bunch in the sock became. I realized that it was impacting my running pattern, the way that my foot came in contact with the ground, the way I pushed off with my toes, the symmetry of my running, eventually it impacted everything. Having run for most of my life, I knew that I was making a big mistake if I didn’t stop, take off my shoe and deal with my sock I would end up with a wound that would keep me from running.

There I stood on the side of the road, pulling off my shoe and sock. It would’ve been easier for me to have adjusted my sock sitting on my bench before I started running, but I was too worried that I wouldn’t have time and so I tried to deny it.

If you are reading this, try changing the word sock to inner child trauma. Try changing the word run to life. My sock problem is much like inner child trauma problems, even if you try wiggling your toes and pretending it’s not there it’s just going to become more obvious the further you run, and if you don’t address it you may find that it takes you out of your run altogether.