To get away. How do I escape? As a child I frequently had the urge to run away. I often felt misunderstood specifically by my parents, (usually my mom). It seemed like she was always having a different conversation or focusing on something different then what I was experiencing. It was as if she did not notice the pain I was enduring but at the time it really felt lonesome. The achy frustration of my pain not being understood or listened to was a terrible feeling that would creep up on me time and time again, it was haunting me. Yet, as many times as it happened it never seemed to get easier and I was always left feeling abondonded, sad, angry, hurt, and unloved. What do I do other than run away? It became a habitual reaction in both my mind and physical body. I grew up with 3 older brothers and I was cherished for being the first girl to be born in the family. My mom repeatedly told me that the day I was born was the happiest day of her life and that I was angel Mary. I could do no wrong. In my familys eyes I was a happy girl. When I would run away I somewhat knew what I wanted and it became clearer the older I got I was hoping someone would try to help me or at least begin to try to listen and understand my pain. However, I quickly was mocked for my behaviour which only caused more hurt. Both my siblings and parents would laugh at me and say things like "let me guess, you're gonna run away again?" and when I would the most painful thing about it all is I would be ignored. I lost out on a lot due to feeling this way. I remember really wanting freshly squeezed orange juice at the Florida border (we drove to Florida on a family trip, and my mom talked about this oj pretty much until we finally got there). I remember looking forward to it so much, but then next thing you know something upset me. I don't remember much other than being in the backseat with my younger sister who was sleeping and my 3 older brothers who were fighting each other and pestering me for every move I made. By the time we made it inside my emotions were boiling over the edge and I had no idea how to cope other than run away. My parents were not supporting me and I remember getting in trouble for trying to explain what had happened. I ran off. I watched them from the corner of this huge building in my eyes. I remember that corner. I didn't care who could see me hiding I definitely felt shame but the urge to get away was more powerful. I remember watching them laugh get the orange juice drink it and then next thing you know they were getting back in the van to leave. No one was wondering where I was no one was making sure I got to try this infamous orange juice I waited ever so patiently for. And to this day I wish I tried that orange juice. Running away in painful situations didn't stop at child hood for me, it crept up in adulthood and remained just as painful. I'm on my continuous healing journey. I'm learning how to be compassionate and validate my own pain and experiences.