I Ran Away

I divide my life into three segments.  Before, The Return, and The Success.

I didn't run away in the usual sense.  My running away was closer to the storybook joining the circus rather than the typical hiding out at friend's house.  I had a talent.  That talent got me out of my parents house.  I wasn't successful the first try, but I worked my ass off and made it happen.

To the outsider, it just seemed like the natural thing to do.  Our small city didn't have much to offer me and if I wanted to become a professional, I was going to have to go away.  So at 14, I moved away to a boarding school of sorts- like in the movie FAME!

Really, I just needed to get out.  I HAD to get out.  

About halfway through the first semester I moved back home.  It wasn't because I was homesick or had bad grades.  It was because I was got injured.  There was no point in my staying if I had to sit out for weeks.  Not to mention I wasn't exactly happy with the training.

I homeschooled the rest of that year and the next fall I moved out again.  This time I moved to the other side of the country!  I stayed for 4 years!  Only returning home a week or two at a time for the various school vacations.  I even spent my summers there!

Those 4 years weren't amazing.  But for the first time in my life, I didn't have someone breathing down my neck and dictating my every move.  I could start to understand who I was.  Who I wanted to be.  What I wanted to be.  Hindsight tells me it was the best decision of my life. 

I will elaborate on the segments as I go along telling my story.  I'll add links so you won't feel lost, I promise.