Gemotions

The old baseball glove sat on the mantelpiece, a dusty relic of his childhood. Mark ran his fingers over the worn leather, the scent of nostalgia mingled with a dull ache. His childhood friend, Tom, had recently called, wanting to talk about their Little League championship game. Mark remembered the loss, the pivotal error.

Tom remembered the glory, the crowd's excitement, the overall victory. He painted Mark as the hero, the one who had almost saved the day, even with the error. Mark recalled the guilt, the sting of disappointment, the feeling that he’d let everyone down.

He should have practiced more, focused more. The way Tom told the story made Mark feel worse. He felt a deep sense of inadequacy, a feeling that no matter what he did, he could never live up to the image of himself that Tom carried in his mind.