Can't Keep Running

There always seems to be a story from almost everyone about how they used to be picked on by students in school. I am not an exception to this fact, because I was picked on plenty of times, the majority being during my tenure at Thurgood Marshall Middle School in Temple Hills, Maryland. I had just started 7th grade in 1995 and already I was getting picked on about my glasses, my forehead, and the fact that I had a near-death experience at a local swimming pool during the summer that same year. I almost got into extremely few scuffles related to those moments because I had a bad temper. I’m glad those moments were very few; I hated being in fights and did everything I could to avoid being in any.

Around the time school started, my dad and I were listening to the radio in his car on our way back home from somewhere. “Runnin’” by The Pharcyde came on and, from that moment, became an all-time favorite on my list of hip-hop songs. The music was hypnotic, I related to the lyrics and the chorus spoke to me with the words, “Can’t keep running away.” It made me feel better about those moments at school, despite how embarrassing they were. I knew that they wouldn’t last forever, and I couldn’t keep trying to hide from the situations. I had to keeping moving forward and focus on getting my education, while pressing toward my newfound dream of being a recording artist.

The song to this day stills speaks to me and encourages me not to run away from trials and tribulations I may experience during my career pursuit.