Narrative Essay About Running Away

Human experience, however varied in its details, will always be a universal factor of life. This being said, it is commonly known that people run away, either from their homes or their problems, because they believe that they alone know what’s right for them. Running away, regardless of the form it takes, is universal. What is not common about this, is what is learned from it. For me, the value of my running away is found not in the act, but in the realization of what my encounter taught me. Nobody will ever know exactly what I learned, just as I will never know exactly what others have felt when faced with a similar situation. I can say, however, that running away led me to a realization that I may not have come to until I was already …show more content…
I continued onward, hoping that the lights ahead were for some poor drunk driver, and that I could continue along my unplanned path. It was when the squad car finally came into my vision that I understood the gravity of my situation. I stopped walking, my legs thanking me but my mind screaming at me, begging to go back and avoid whatever lay ahead. Ultimately, it wouldn’t have mattered, as I felt another pair of headlights pull up behind me, keeping me rooted to the spot as I closed my eyes and hoped time would make an exception for me. I felt a strong, calloused hand wrap around my arm, and opened my eyes to see a man my height, whose stern jaw and dark eyes commanded the scene and demanded attention. He asked for my name and I felt the words spill out of my mouth without thinking. I stayed perfectly still, out of respect and fear, as he went back to his car to run my name and ultimately find out what I was doing. I ran dozens of scenarios of what was going to happen through my mind, with fears of jail and homelessness swirling among them, each hypothetical more terrifying than the last. It wasn’t until he stepped back in front of me that my mind came into bleary focus again. His features, once serious and strongly assertive, had softened to those of one human being recognizing the misfortunes of …show more content…
Had I known previously what was in store for me, I would never have snuck out of my window into the cold dawn. No problem at that age was worth risking my life and future. I was so blinded by emotion that I thought starting a life on my own, with no home or money, was possible. I realized that reality and idealism are like oil and water; they may briefly stay together if you force them, but they will never mix. Furthermore, I learned that life is not as beautiful as we’re led to believe. It is not inherently bad, but it is intolerant for blind spontaneity. Life is not meant to be perfectly planned, as perfection is impossible, but it is meant to be conducted logically and with at least some sense of forethought. Blind idealism, driven by emotion instead of logic, can be deadly. Having learned from my mistakes then, rather than years later, has made all the difference in my outlook and understanding of the outside