I was out for a run one morning when I felt a twinge in my left heel. It was November 2021. A beautiful fall day.
I’ve been a runner most of my life. I’m used to occasional aches. I figured the heel pain would go away.
It got worse.
Two days later (I like to run every other day), I laced up my running shoes and headed outside. Please let that weird pain be gone, I prayed.
It came back, sharper. I forced myself to finish the run and did my best not to worry. I’m a world-class worrier and a worst-case thinker, a classic catastrophizer. I’m a six on the Enneagram personality scale, if you’re familiar with the test. It means I’m loyal and energized by friendships and relationships, but I’m also prone to anxiety and projection. When my teenage daughter, Bekah, struggled after a serious soccer injury, I feared she might never recover—physically or emotionally. Her struggles were real. As always, I overreacted. With professional
