A Pebble in my Shoe

Years ago, I was running some race, a quarter marathon I believe, and this was my experience:

Miles 4-6 were downhill physically and so I thought, "this is gonna be an EASY finish." Then I got a pebble in my shoe. At first, it was REALLY annoying and bordered painful. I almost stopped to get it out, risking a personal record finish time. Then it kind of slipped away and became less annoying, but still very much present. As I often do while running, I began to reflect on how this run may be a metaphor for some aspect(s) of my life; I pondered...what are the pebbles of my life?

For the next two miles, as I begrudged this pebble, I reflected on its meaning in my life, on a grander scale. And today, I invite you to spend some time thinking:

What are the pebbles in your life? Are they nagging, gnawing, making your life unpleasant? Are they less pleasant at certain times than others, but still very much present? Do you want to get rid of them entirely? Adjust so they’re less annoying? How do you accomplish this? Or do you want to just run through life with them and persist despite?

What lessons could the pebbles bring to your life?