A week ago, my classmates and I did something for our majors (Advertising Visualization and Art). We listened to this song and afterwards, we were given three minutes to write what we felt. I poured out every emotion I had for the past few months. It was tough- writing something so heavy under three minutes. For some crazy reason, I somehow managed to.

This is me in the past four months of my life.

There I was, running back and forth in the wilderness. It felt like I had nowhere to go. I was lost in this forest; this dark and gloomy forest. And then suddenly, I saw a glimpse of light- hope. I ran as fast as I could to reach the end so I can finally see what was in store for me. I closed my eyes then I took a deep breath… Alas! There I was out in the open. I can smell the sea. Oh, that glorious scent! I can feel the sun as it burns my skin. I can hear the birds chirping and the warm summer breeze. It was paradise. It was magic. Or at least I thought so… The earth began to move and break and before I know it, I was falling. The transition was too fast, I could barely grasp on anything. From what was seemingly paradise, I was back to where I started. I grew tired to a point where I felt like giving up. I couldn’t move anymore. My legs seemed to be part of that godforsaken forest. And again, I saw something glimmer. There was a light but it shone differently. I thought heavily for a while if I was willing to give it another try. I was too hurt, too broken to even move. “What if it will hurt me more?”, I asked myself. Then I realized, I don’t want to be in this dark shady forest. I want to live. I want to smell the air and actually feel it. I want to see the birds and feel like I’m flying too. I want to feel alive again. Little by little, I started picking up the pieces of my horrid past. I walked and walked towards the light and before I know it, I was running again. Then I stopped. I tried to catch to my breath for a while. I let go of my fears and stepped outside of the sun. For the first time in my life, I finally got to feel what I never felt. I’m alone but I’m not lonely anymore. I felt a sense of peace and happiness. Now I know, everything was just a matter of choice- whether you want to live your life in the dark or not. I fell hard and I was hurt like I’ve never been hurt before but here I am now…… and I feel free.