- You should never give up. That much is true.

  - But while you won’t give up, there are things you need to cut.

  - A dead leaf on a living plant only spreads the rot.

  ---

  It started with a broken toe.

  I was leaping over a barricade like I was in some post-apocalyptic Olympics. Hit the edge wrong. Bone cracked like a dry twig. I limped for two miles before I found a place to rest. Could’ve died three different times that day because I was too hyped on adrenaline and bad choices.

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  I told myself I was surviving. Pushing my limits. Staying sharp. But really, I think I just didn’t want to stop long enough to think.

  That night, I sat in a hardware store, feet soaking in a mop bucket, eating dry oatmeal, and I realized I wasn’t being smart—I was coping. Badly.

  There’s a fine line between endurance and self-destruction. Between being brave and being stupid.

  I didn’t stop because I was strong. I didn’t stop because I was broken.

  And there’s no pride in chasing a high that’ll get you killed.

  So I’m done with the reckless runs. The dares. The naked scavenges. I’m not a walking challenge video. I’m a person.

  A person who wants to live.

  Not just survive.