Benjamin Gutirrez

The Wrong Way Benjamin Gutirrez

At twenty years old I had given up on a life I had no interest in living. The nine to five life had never made sense to me. Trade my time doing something I don't like so I can buy things I don't want? Having nice things is overrated; I would never want to rely on possessions for my happiness. It wasn't for me, so I hit the road like a thief in a bank and never looked back. I spent the next twelve years hitchhiking, riding the rails, going in and out of jails, prisons, and institutions. I had a major problem with drugs and alcohol which I was never able to run from. The party came to an end and left me lost on a desolate road. What was once fun became a pattern of downfalls. I had once glorified drug use and promiscuous sex until it left me stranded in a pit of my own despair. I forgot to fear what I later became: lost, hopeless, and no longer the free young man I had once been. Reality kicked in and there I was - stuck with me.