The Bravest Thing I Ever Did Was Run

Some people choose to stay. They choose to stay in the same place that they have always known. They choose to stay with the only person they have ever loved. And they choose to stay at the same job, without an after thought.

But, I think it’s braver to leave. It’s braver to run. It’s braver to go.

I don’t want to stay in the same city, with the same people and with the same cafe’s. I want to drive down new highways, to walk down new hallways and roads. I want to breathe new air, and foreign atmospheres. I want to smile at new faces and at new eyes that sparkle with something I have never seen before. It’s scary to run. It’s scary to jump. But, it’s worth it.

I loved a boy a long time ago. I stayed for an even longer time. I stayed in love and stayed in our tiny glorious bubble. And I kept him in my heart for far too long. But you know what? One day I woke up and gave myself permission to stop pining for him when he had already stopped a long time ago. I decided to let him go, and find myself instead. And I ran from the first person I had ever loved. I ran from the one thing I had ever known.

And for the first time in my life, I felt free.

I could’ve stayed with him forever. I could’ve stayed in the same place, planted on the same land until I died. I could’ve worked tirelessly eight hours a day doing something I hated, staying at the same job that nearly killed me.

But, I chose a different path. Maybe it’s unconventional. Maybe it’s dumb and irresponsible. But one things for sure, running is never going to be cowardly. 

You see, running, is the bravest thing you could ever do for yourself. It’s scary to leave the comfort of what you have known your entire life. It’s frightening to leave someone who you knew would love you until the end. And it’s terrifying to leave what society tells you to do. It’s scary as hell to jump out of the norm, and out of your perfect bubble.

But, running, led me to myself.

Because by running from everything that I knew like the back of my hand, I ran into what I truly wanted. I ran into my true goals and dreams. I ran into what I really wanted in another person. And I ran, head first, to myself.

You can stay if you want. You can stay and watch yourself stay the same. Or you can run, and watch yourself grow. And watch yourself become somebody who you truly love.