Rewrite the Contract
For years, I have called myself a runner. Running has taken me across finish lines, through half-marathons, and into some of the most beautiful places in the world. It has taught me discipline, endurance, and the power of doing hard things. But lately, I have been asking myself a different question: Does running still bring me the same joy?
During a recent conversation with my chiropractor, Dr. Shawna Brumfield, I shared some of what I had been feeling about my body, movement, and this season of life. She listened and then said something that has stayed with me: “You need to rewrite the contract to yourself.”
Whew. That one sentence gave language to what I had been feeling.
The truth is, we all make contracts with ourselves, spoken and unspoken:
· I will always do this.
· This is who I am.
· This is what commitment looks like.
· This is what discipline requires.
But what happens when the terms and conditions change? What happens when your body changes? What happens when your priorities shift, and what once brought joy begins to feel more like an obligation? When your heart starts pulling you toward a different path, you rewrite the contract.
For me, that means giving myself permission to pivot from running to hiking. I am learning that I can honor the runner I have been without forcing myself to remain the same woman forever. I can celebrate the medals, the miles, the early mornings, and the finish lines while making room for mountains, trails, fresh air, beautiful views, and new adventures.
This pivot is reminding me how important it is to check in with ourselves, not just to ask, Can I keep going? but to ask:
· Is this still good for me?
· Does this still bring me joy?
· Am I doing this because I love it, or because I have always done it?
As women, we are often so busy checking on everyone else that we forget to check in with ourselves. But self-care requires honesty. Soul-care requires listening. And harmony requires the courage to adjust when life changes.
I am still committed to movement. I am still committed to fitness. I am still committed to health and wellness. I am still committed to challenging myself, but the expression of that commitment is changing. I am not abandoning who I was. I am honoring who I am becoming.
Maybe there is an area of your life where the terms and conditions have changed, but you are still living by an old contract, a career choice, a relationship, a routine, a goal, a ministry assignment, or even an outdated definition of success.
Perhaps it is time to check in with yourself. Listen to your body. Follow your heart. Be honest with yourself and if the old contract no longer fits the life, you are living or the person you are becoming, rewrite it.
As for me, I am trading some running miles for hiking trails. Already this decision led me to the pivot from running the 2026 Atlanta Peachtree Road Race to a refreshing July 4th hike with my sister, Inez at High Falls State Park in Jackson, Georgia. I have a feeling this new path is going to lead me somewhere beautiful in my heart, mind, body, spirit and soul.
When the terms and conditions change, rewrite the contract to yourself. Keep tending to your garden. Keep listening to your heart. Keep choosing harmony.
Dr. Toni G. Alvarado
Creating harmonious lifestyles for women of color