You Belong Here
you belong here, even if tonight is night one.
last week was one of those nights at run club where the energy just felt right. good vibes. familiar faces everywhere. i found myself lost in conversation after conversation, catching up with people i hadn’t seen in a while, shaking hands, trading hugs, hearing what everyone’s been up to. it felt like home.
but somewhere in the middle of all that warmth, someone said something that stuck with me. they said some of these friends will always be here. but that person standing on the outside looking in? they might not come back if tonight doesn’t feel like it’s for them too.
and that hit different.
because i remember what it felt like the first time i showed up to a run club. standing at the edge of the group. watching everyone laugh and talk like they’d known each other forever. overthinking whether to say hi or just keep my head down and not make a fool of myself.
but someone said hi. someone made room. someone made me feel like i belonged before i believed it myself. and that changed everything.
and now here i am, years later, so comfortable in the community that built me that i sometimes forget what it felt like to not have one. i get caught up in the familiar. i let catching up with old friends become the excuse for not making new ones. and that’s not what run club is supposed to be.
run club is the place that took me in. it’s supposed to do that for everyone.
every single person who shows up is there for a reason. to run. to feel something. to be a part of something bigger than a solo mile. and they deserve to feel that from the moment they walk up. not after they’ve proven they belong. not after they’ve shown up five times. right now. tonight. first step.
so this is me checking myself. pulling my roots back to where they started.
and if you ever see me out there and i haven’t said hi yet, please don’t wait. come say what’s up. i promise the conversation is worth it. and i promise this community is everything you’re hoping it is.
the door is always open. it’s on us to make sure it feels that way.
we run with you. 🖤🪶
Jacob Lee
Nomad
