It haunts you like the casual tick of your grandfathers old clock, always acknoledged yet rarely paid attention to, or at least until the clock chimes. But even by then it’s too late.

And it takes a strong mind to surpass this wall, mindful of the unlikely prospects yet still conscious enough to overcome them. Those are the minds that deserve praise, admiration, yet also sympathy and condolence.

For the second they break through this barrier, the second this wall collapses, they have to run.

They have to stumble through this road of rejection and criticism, shadows judging their pride and passion, trying to swallow them whole. They rip and tear at their very being, just waiting until that person picks themselves up again to only injure them further.

They pick and prune at those little mistakes, shaping that person into a better version of themselves, all the while they’re still running. It’s cruel, and it’s demeaning, and not everybody can succeed.

But then again, isn’t that what makes it worth it? Would it be worth it if there were a dime in a dozen, everybody having the talent, the grit, and the success that only real successful people have?

No, it wouldn’t would it.

And that’s why shadows are real. That’s why they chase you, and that’s why you run. That’s why no matter the situation, you will always be connected to that shadow. And until you realize that that darkness is merely an inverse shape of yourself, will you be able to see the light.

Maybe then, the running will become easier.