#HumansOfScottAFB: Airman 1st Class Casey Klimkiewicz [Image 17 of 22]

SCOTT AIR FORCE BASE, IL, UNITED STATES

03.22.2019

Photo by Senior Airman Tara Stetler 

375th Air Mobility Wing

"I started running in middle school because I couldn’t run across the gymnasium without panting, so I was like, ‘I’m going to change that. I’ll join track.’ And it was the worst school year ever because of how hard it was, but now I can run about five miles without breaking a sweat. I’m trying to get to the point where I can do marathons or triathlons.

I apply running to my life a lot. There’s a cross country quote we had on our T-shirts in high school from a Russian writer, Fyodor Dostevsky: ‘Suffering is the sole origin of consciousness.’ My interpretation is that whatever discomfort or pain I go through, it reminds me to keep pushing through. This quote allows me to be resilient in the present moment, no matter the circumstances. Whether I am running five miles or dealing with a new work environment, this quote helps me get through the tough times. Every time it becomes difficult on my run, I tell myself, ‘Keep going. You’ve got this!’ Because in the end, any pain I go through in life will only make me stronger and better-equipped for even longer, faster, and more difficult runs and challenges.

So I guess I really interpret the quote as, ‘Suffering is the sole origin of progress.’ Any suffering that I endure is only going to develop who I am as a person. Am I going to be the person that buckles under the pressure? Or am I going to be the person that pushes themselves past what their brain tells them they can do, despite the hardship they’ll face? I prefer to be the latter because nothing can stop those people from accomplishing their goals.”

- Airman 1st Class Casey Klimkiewicz, 375th Medical Operations Squadron medical technician

#HumansOfScottAFB is an ongoing photo series featuring the stories of people who work, live, and volunteer at Scott Air Force Base.

• Date Taken: 03.22.2019
• Date Posted: 09.16.2019 16:46
• Photo ID: 5754641
• VIRIN: 190322-F-VX890-1001
• Resolution: 2048x1629
• Size: 153.9 KB
• Location: SCOTT AIR FORCE BASE, IL, US