“The old high school stirred up bad memories and a cloud of regret settled on me.
I graduated from high school without distinction and the old building reminded me of what could have been. I thought of scholarships I might have earned, the leader I might have been, (what) I might have shared had I not sold out to mediocrity. I would have passed by, until I noticed the old track.
I could have been a winner there too, but I didn’t take running seriously. I was almost past the gap in the chain link fence when an inspiration pierced my darkness. I turned toward the track carrying all my regrets and wasted opportunities. One lap … one final lap on the high school track to close the books and shelve my shortcomings forever. I picked up the pace and clicked off a lap. My spirits began to rise. One last look at the old high school and I turned for home, closing a chapter called regret. I left it all behind on that final lap.
No one was watching and my time was not recorded, but if you ask me, my finest run was a one-lap race when hope broke through and regret failed to place.”
-by David Crabtree