That Summer-The Summer That Changed My Life

That summer, I learned so much about myself. I learned what it was to love, to forgive, and to become reaquainted with both past and future. I also learned what it was to be loved, to be forgiven, and I learned what it was for someone to have to learn to trust me all over again. I learned that leaving home is much harder than one would anticipate, and I learned that home is truly where the heart is. In this realization, I also learned that I will never make my home in a place, but rather I will live in the hearts of the people I love. I learned that I can be rather flighty and impulsive; I can lose all sense of conviction if given due chance. I learned how to live for myself. I realized that my life wasn't a story being told by some far-off narrator. This is my life. One that I will live. I learned that my decisions can and will have their consequences. I learned what it was to regret, to feel guilt, and to have to learn how to forgive myself even when it felt impossible. I guess I am still learning that. I learned so much. I felt so much. So much pain and regret. And then so much love and happiness. I would propose that, overall, I learned what it was to feel and actually be free. That summer I felt a wonderful freedom for the first time at many key moments. I grew up by years, but felt like a child for the first time as well. That summer, I lived in every book I had read, and played the leading role in every movie I saw. I experienced life. That summer, there were good times and bad times. I cried, I laughed, and smiled through both joy and pain. I learned freedom, but I learned what it meant to be trapped. Trapped in my life. In the "box" that seemingly everyone around me had decided I should live in. I also learned how to begin my escape of that metaphorical box and live for myself. I learned a lot. I loved very much. I lived. I am living. This is my life, and this was my summer.