by Naomi

Some days I want to run away. I feel like the little girl I was many years ago who wanted desperately to escape; to run and never stop. I still have days like that. I just want to flee. I cannot handle what life is throwing at me some days and I have an overwhelming need to get away. But then I realize I am not a little girl anymore. I am an adult who needs to stop and face my world head on. I can no longer run. (No literally, I cannot even run down the block without being winded so, yeah…)
I will never forget the day I ran away from home and the lesson I learned. I told my children the story once and now they love to hear it repeatedly.

The Story…

I was just a young girl and I was very upset with my parents. I forget exactly why I was so upset but I remember thinking the only solution was to run away. I was going to live somewhere else. I hadn’t really figured out the plan entirely but it didn’t matter. I announced to my mother that I was running away. My mother very calmly said she would help me pack a bag. This was not the reaction I was hoping for which only made me more angry. She packed me my favorite peanut butter and banana sandwich and I stormed out of the house with a few other treasures in a bag. I got on my banana seat bicycle and pedaled as fast as I could down the street, anger propelling me faster and faster as I went. When I turned the corner at the end of my street I realized I had no plan of where I was going. I started to get a bit worried. “What have I done?” I thought.
Then the most terrible thing I could ever imagine happened, a bird pooped on my head. (This is the point in the story when my children laugh hysterically) It was such a large plop, it made me stop my bicycle to figure out what just happened to me. As soon as I placed my hand on my head, it became all too clear. The tears then streamed from my eyes and I headed back home. As I slammed the door, my dramatic entrance was met by my mother who questioned, “I thought you were running away?” I cried hard and between sobbing breaths I tried to explain that a bird had pooped on my head so I had to come home. I must have been quite a sight. My Mom cleaned me up and told me it was actually a sign of good luck. Maybe it was a sign of good luck, or maybe it was a sign to make me turn myself around and head back home immediately to a place where I will always be safe and loved. I felt a little better and decided to stay.

The Lesson…

Needless to say, I never attempted to run away again. I have felt the urge, but I will always remember that day. And on days when I feel like I can’t take it, and I just want nothing more than to run away, I always remember the lesson I learned. There will always be bad days. You can try to run, but it won’t really do you any good because

shit happens.