On My Way Home

I felt the weight of the day sink in as I started walking on my journey home. The straps of my backpack dug into my shoulders reminding me of the heaviness that I was carrying. I took slow steps, trying to hold it together and not let my frustration get the better of me. “How could everything go so wrong?”, I thought to myself, “how did I get caught up in this mess?”. My head throbbed as I replayed the events of the day. Overwhelmed, everything came at me so fast and the one thing I clearly remembered was the longing to be at home. There, I would be heard and understood. I wanted to hide under the warmth of my family and the safeness of my home, wishing I could stay cozied up like that forever. Reality gently pulled me back as my eyes adjusted to the sun. Feeling slowly crept back into my body until all the warmth had faded into a cold darkness. “I need to go home”, I thought to myself. I continued walking, getting faster with every step, until I was sprinting home. My feet were pounding against the pavement, the wind chilling me, as it swept through my hair. When my house finally came into view, I was shivering all over. I rushed through the gravel hearing the familiar crunch as my feet hit the ground and looked up to see my mom in the window. I opened the door, and the smell of my mom’s latest creation filled the room. My mom wrapped me in a hug. I burst in tears as I told her what had happened, she reassured me, “everything will be okay”, she told me, “You’re home”.